Rafferty Asset Management LLC Has $34.95 Million Stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Rafferty Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 4.0% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 314,888 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 13,112 shares during the quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $34,953,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. 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 worth $2,375,000 after purchasing an additional 16,288 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management grew its position in shares of 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 valued at $8,713,000 after acquiring an additional 26,882 shares during the period. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 249.1% in the 3rd quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 10,045 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,115,000 after purchasing an additional 7,168 shares during the period. Railway Pension Investments Ltd lifted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd now owns 1,415,665 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $157,139,000 after purchasing an additional 42,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TriaGen Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Gilead Sciences during the third quarter worth about $1,274,000. Institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In related news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.44, for a total transaction of $4,324,320.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 120,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,577,278.72. This trade represents a 18.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.43, for a total value of $463,290.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 167,779 shares in the company, valued at $25,910,110.97. This represents a 1.76% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 299,280 shares of company stock worth $42,487,570 over the last three months. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 3.6%

Shares of NASDAQ GILD opened at $148.95 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $184.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.00, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.36. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $136.10 and its 200 day moving average is $124.77. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 52 week low of $93.37 and a 52 week high of $157.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.55.

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

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on GILD. Leerink Partners increased their price target on Gilead Sciences from $146.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $128.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their target price on Gilead Sciences from $159.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.72.

Key Gilead Sciences News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Gilead highlighted a twice-yearly HIV prevention injection with reported 99.9% efficacy (executive interview), reinforcing the company’s long-acting HIV/IP prevention market potential and upside to future sales if uptake and approvals follow. Johanna Mercier on Gilead’s HIV prevention innovation
• Positive Sentiment: New Phase 3 ARTISTRY-1 and ARTISTRY-2 data show the investigational single-tablet bictegravir/lenacapavir (BIC/LEN) maintained virological suppression when patients switched regimens — strengthens pipeline value and switch-market potential. Gilead’s Single-Tablet Regimen Maintained Virological Suppression
• Positive Sentiment: Daiwa raised its price target to $161 and kept an “outperform” rating, signaling buy-side confidence and giving shares technical/analyst momentum. Daiwa Securities Adjusts Price Target on Gilead Sciences
• Positive Sentiment: UBS reiterated a Buy with a $175 target, citing the advancing long-acting HIV franchise — another supportive analyst endorsement for upside. Gilead Sciences: Advancing Long-Acting HIV Franchise
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks issued a series of upward revisions to Gilead’s FY2026–FY2028 and multiple quarterly EPS forecasts (raises across 2026–2028), which supports higher medium-term earnings expectations. Zacks Research GILD Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces note Gilead has been outperforming the healthcare sector recently and analysts remain optimistic — supports momentum but is descriptive rather than new fundamental news. Gilead Sciences Stock: Is GILD Outperforming the Healthcare Sector?
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry/peer updates such as Kymera’s results were reported but are not directly material to Gilead’s near-term outlook. Kymera Therapeutics Q4 Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed its Q3 2026 EPS estimate slightly (from $2.34 to $2.30) — a small near-term downgrade within otherwise stronger multi-year raises; worth monitoring for quarterly variability. Zacks Lowers Q3 2026 Estimate
• Negative Sentiment: Merck reported promising Phase 3 results for a two-drug HIV regimen that matched Gilead’s Biktarvy, representing competitive pressure if approved. Investors should monitor regulatory outcomes and market-share implications. Merck’s New HIV Drug Shows Promise

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.