Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Price Target Raised to $172.00

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) had its price target increased by Bank of America from $168.00 to $172.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on GILD. Zacks Research downgraded Gilead Sciences from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 29th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Gilead Sciences from $165.00 to $163.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Gilead Sciences from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th. HSBC upped their target price on Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Twenty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $159.63.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:GILD opened at $157.19 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $148.74 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $137.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Gilead Sciences has a one year low of $114.02 and a one year high of $160.51.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($6.75) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($7.25) by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $7.80 billion during 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.01 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences will post -0.47 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is presently -122.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Gilead Sciences news, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.02, for a total transaction of $725,100.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 10,066 shares in the company, valued at $1,459,771.32. This trade represents a 33.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal 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 Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.90, for a total transaction of $2,218,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 566,683 shares in the company, valued at $83,812,415.70. This trade represents a 2.58% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 111,000 shares of company stock worth $15,877,860 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GILD. Bank of Nova Scotia purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $100,056,000. Groupe la Francaise lifted its position in Gilead Sciences by 30.9% in the second quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 49,627 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $6,270,000 after purchasing an additional 11,712 shares during the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp bought a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the second quarter valued at approximately $55,754,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 3.6% during the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 292,295 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $36,929,000 after purchasing an additional 10,206 shares during the period. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the second quarter valued at approximately $6,251,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings expectations are supportive. Analysts expect Gilead to potentially beat its upcoming third-quarter estimates, supported by favorable estimate revisions and the company’s history of exceeding consensus forecasts. A strong report or upbeat outlook could reinforce the recent momentum. Gilead Sciences Expected to Beat Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Oncology pipeline receives a potential boost. Gilead and BioNTech entered a clinical-trial collaboration and supply agreement to test BioNTech’s pumitamig with Gilead’s TROP2-directed antibody-drug conjugate sacituzumab govitecan in the Phase 3 ROSETTA Breast-01 trial for advanced triple-negative breast cancer. Success could expand the commercial opportunity for Trodelvy and support Gilead’s strategy of building growth beyond HIV. BioNTech and Gilead to Test Drug Combination
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are highlighting longer-term growth drivers. A bullish investment thesis points to Gilead’s durable HIV franchise, oncology expansion and potential for pipeline-led growth without relying primarily on acquisitions. Bank of America also reportedly expects additional upside, adding to the positive analyst narrative. Bank of America Analyst Expects Gilead Stock to Rise
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming liver-disease data could provide another catalyst. Gilead plans to present clinical and real-world evidence on primary biliary cholangitis and chronic hepatitis delta at The Liver Meeting in November. The data may support confidence in long-term treatment durability and disease management, although the investment impact will depend on the results. Gilead to Present New Liver-Disease Data
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and clinical execution remain risks. The shares recently declined during one session despite broader market gains, indicating some sensitivity to profit-taking or company-specific concerns. The BioNTech program is still dependent on Phase 3 results, while the stock’s proximity to its high leaves less room for disappointment if earnings or pipeline data fall short. Gilead Stock Drops Despite Market Gains

About Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes medicines for serious and life-threatening diseases. The company is best known for its HIV treatments, including Biktarvy, Descovy, Genvoya and Truvada, as well as therapies for chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Its portfolio also includes Veklury (remdesivir), an antiviral treatment for COVID-19.

Gilead has expanded into oncology and cell therapy through products such as Trodelvy and the CAR T-cell therapies Yescarta and Tecartus, which are developed and marketed through its Kite subsidiary.