Gilead Sciences’ (GILD) Buy Rating Reiterated at Needham & Company LLC

Needham & Company LLC reiterated their buy rating on shares of Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) in a report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. Needham & Company LLC currently has a $170.00 price objective on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on GILD. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $140.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $171.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Argus upped their price target on Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, HSBC increased their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.44.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GILD opened at $147.12 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $182.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.73, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.31. Gilead Sciences has a 12 month low of $93.37 and a 12 month high of $157.29. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $135.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $124.44.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.03. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 49.46% and a net margin of 28.90%.The firm had revenue of $7.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.90 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.450-8.850 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This is an increase from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.68%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Gilead Sciences news, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 115,640 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $17,346,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 613,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $92,086,800. The trade was a 15.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.50, for a total value of $617,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,920 shares in the company, valued at $1,101,620. This represents a 35.92% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 317,085 shares of company stock worth $44,734,886. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Csenge Advisory Group increased its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 319.0% during the 3rd quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 21,394 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,375,000 after purchasing an additional 16,288 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lifted its position in Gilead Sciences by 52.1% in the 3rd quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 78,494 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $8,713,000 after buying an additional 26,882 shares during the last quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. boosted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 249.1% in the third quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 10,045 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,115,000 after buying an additional 7,168 shares in the last quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd boosted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 3.1% in the third quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd now owns 1,415,665 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $157,139,000 after buying an additional 42,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TriaGen Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Gilead Sciences during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,274,000. 83.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Gilead Sciences News

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

• Positive Sentiment: New Phase 3 results (ARTISTRY?1 and ARTISTRY?2) show Gilead’s investigational single?tablet bictegravir/lenacapavir regimen maintained virological suppression in people switching therapy — a meaningful data point for switching patients and long?term market share. Gilead’s Single-Tablet Regimen Maintained Virological Suppression (BusinessWire)
• Positive Sentiment: Independent coverage reports the experimental single?tablet regimen was generally well tolerated with low discontinuation rates, supporting commercial viability if approved. Gilead’s experimental HIV treatment shows low discontinuation rates in studies (Reuters)
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead agreed to acquire Arcellx for $7.8B to gain full control of anito?cel, strengthening its cell therapy / oncology pipeline — a strategic bolt?on that could drive long?term growth beyond HIV. Gilead Snaps Up Arcellx For $115 Per Share — A $7.8 Billion Bet On Cancer Therapy (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst activity is supportive: Needham reaffirmed a Buy and at least one outlet reports an 11.7% higher price target — signals that sell?side expectations are improving. Needham & Company LLC Reaffirms Buy Rating for Gilead Sciences (AmericanBankingNews)
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary notes a raised price target to about $159, reflecting bullish analyst revisions following the recent data and deal. Gilead Sciences (GILD) price target increased by 11.73% to 159.01 (MSN)
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader market/sector headlines (e.g., macro or AI “halo” trade commentary) are likely distracting investors but are not specific to Gilead’s fundamentals. Hypothetical AI Doomsday Scenario Lights Up Wall Street’s HALO Trade (The Daily Upside)
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive risk: Merck’s two?drug HIV regimen reportedly matched Gilead’s Biktarvy in Phase 3 and is under FDA review — increased competition in HIV could pressure long?run pricing and market share. Merck’s New HIV Drug Shows Promise. Its Chief Medical Officer Explains Why Wall Street Should Care. (Yahoo/WSJ)

Gilead Sciences Company Profile

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.