Brokerages Set Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) PT at $152.42

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-six research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $152.50.

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $160.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. HSBC lifted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Scotiabank raised their price target on Gilead Sciences from $140.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $131.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.31, for a total transaction of $372,930.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 150,503 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,709,027.93. The trade was a 1.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 115,640 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $17,346,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 613,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $92,086,800. This represents a 15.85% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 288,891 shares of company stock valued at $40,303,946. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Gilead Sciences

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,887 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $477,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 7,724 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $948,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 6,619 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $812,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. Personal CFO Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 4,572 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $561,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,446 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $546,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of Gilead Sciences stock opened at $155.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.68 and a quick ratio of 1.31. The firm has a market cap of $192.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.36. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $131.66 and its 200-day moving average is $122.97. Gilead Sciences has a one year low of $93.37 and a one year high of $157.29.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its 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 business had revenue of $7.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.90 EPS. Gilead Sciences’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.450-8.850 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Gilead Sciences will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The company 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. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is currently 46.68%.

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.