VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Buys Shares of 1,032,295 Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 1,032,295 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock, valued at approximately $130,420,000. Gilead Sciences makes up about 0.8% of VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 20.6% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 14,359 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,326,000 after acquiring an additional 2,450 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $215,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Gilead Sciences by 16.8% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,182 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $464,000 after purchasing an additional 602 shares in the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC increased its stake in Gilead Sciences by 12.0% in the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 118,695 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $13,160,000 after purchasing an additional 12,705 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 18.6% in the second quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,296 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $516,000 after purchasing an additional 674 shares during the period. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Gilead Sciences

Here are the key news stories impacting Gilead Sciences this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New HIV and oncology approvals broaden Gilead’s growth prospects. FDA approval of Bixlenvo, a once-daily single-tablet HIV regimen for virologically suppressed adults on complex treatments, could strengthen the company’s HIV franchise. Separately, European approval of Trodelvy plus Keytruda for certain first-line metastatic triple-negative breast cancer patients expands Gilead’s oncology opportunity. Commercial uptake will determine the ultimate revenue impact. HIV and oncology approvals article
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised long-term earnings expectations. Zacks Research increased its Q1 2028 EPS estimate to $2.15, Q2 2028 to $2.31 and FY2028 to $9.66, while maintaining a “Strong Buy” rating. The revisions suggest improving confidence in Gilead’s future profitability. Gilead analyst estimates
• Positive Sentiment: An Arcus-backed cancer study reached completion. The milestone sets up a potentially important immuno-oncology catalyst, although investors will likely need to wait for efficacy and safety data before assigning significant value to the program. Arcus-backed cancer trial article
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead continues to support income investors with a $0.82 quarterly dividend. The $3.28 annualized payout provides shareholder support, but the high payout relative to reported earnings makes future dividend growth dependent on sustained HIV cash flow and successful new-product launches. Gilead dividend article
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Daniel O’Day sold $2.23 million of stock. The 15,000-share sale reduced his holdings by 2.53%, but it was completed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, limiting its value as a bearish signal. SEC insider trading filing
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain concerned about concentration and patent-expiration risk. Gilead’s dividend and cash generation depend heavily on its leading HIV franchise, particularly a blockbuster therapy facing a known patent expiration later in the next decade. The sharp decline in cell-therapy licensing deals also highlights uncertainty around diversification beyond HIV. Gilead dividend and patent risk article

Gilead Sciences Stock Down 0.0%

Gilead Sciences stock opened at $150.99 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $136.67 and a 200-day moving average of $136.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a twelve month low of $108.46 and a twelve month high of $157.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $187.22 billion, a PE ratio of -56.55 and a beta of 0.33.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($6.75) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($7.25) by $0.50. The business had revenue of $7.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.40 billion. Gilead Sciences had a negative net margin of 10.64% and a negative return on equity of 2.11%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.01 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is -122.85%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on GILD shares. Daiwa Securities Group reduced their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $161.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Maxim Group upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $165.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. HSBC raised Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $133.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Gilead Sciences from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $158.04.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In other news, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.02, for a total transaction of $725,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 10,066 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,459,771.32. This represents a 33.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Daniel O’Day sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.64, for a total value of $2,229,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 577,133 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $85,785,049.12. The trade was a 2.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 105,000 shares of company stock worth $14,495,820. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc, founded in 1987 and headquartered in Foster City, California, is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of medicines in areas of high unmet medical need. The company initially built its reputation in antiviral therapies and has since expanded into oncology, cell therapy and inflammatory diseases. Gilead operates a global research and commercial organization, conducting clinical development and selling medicines in markets around the world.

Gilead’s product portfolio is anchored by antiviral therapies for HIV and viral hepatitis.