Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) Short Interest Update

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) was the target of a significant decline in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 18,454,950 shares, a decline of 15.7% from the February 12th total of 21,892,924 shares. Approximately 1.5% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 6,745,011 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.7 days. Based on an average daily volume of 6,745,011 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.7 days. Approximately 1.5% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $140.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Argus lifted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Twenty-four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $157.62.

Gilead Sciences News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Arcellx / takeover-related coverage — reports note a Gilead-related takeover theme that drove a big one‑day move in a small biotech (Arcellx). M&A activity or strategic deals in cell therapy could be viewed positively for Gilead’s pipeline expansion and long-term growth prospects. This $64 Million Biotech Exit Seemingly Missed a 77% One-Day Surge on Gilead Takeover Deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusual options activity flagged by market scanners — Barchart/MSN highlighted Gilead among mega‑caps with unusual options flows, which can signal speculative interest or hedging by institutions but is ambiguous for directional bias. Monitor option volumes and put/call skew for confirmation. 2 Mega-Cap Nasdaq Stocks with Unusual Options Activity: What to Watch
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale — Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares at an average $144.23 on Mar 16 (disclosed to the SEC). Insider selling can be interpreted negatively by investors even if part of routine diversification or pre-set plans. Insider Sale – Johanna Mercier (SEC Filing)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale — CFO Andrew D. Dickinson also sold 3,000 shares at an average $144.23 on Mar 16. A sale by the CFO can draw extra attention from investors and may weigh on sentiment in the near term. Insider Sale – Andrew D. Dickinson (SEC Filing)

Gilead Sciences Stock Down 0.6%

NASDAQ:GILD traded down $0.81 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $144.40. The company had a trading volume of 3,887,753 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,439,953. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $141.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $127.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $179.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.33, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.37. Gilead Sciences has a 1 year low of $93.37 and a 1 year high of $157.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.03. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 49.46% and a net margin of 28.90%.The company had revenue of $7.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.90 earnings per share. The company’s revenue 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 forecast that Gilead Sciences will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. This is a positive change from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is 48.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Gilead Sciences news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.23, for a total value of $432,690.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 179,191 shares in the company, valued at $25,844,717.93. The trade was a 1.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.23, for a total transaction of $432,690.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 131,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,006,485.17. This represents a 2.23% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 309,280 shares of company stock worth $44,068,850 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in GILD. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 34.0% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 88,893 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $10,911,000 after acquiring an additional 22,559 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 12.7% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 31,753 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,897,000 after acquiring an additional 3,589 shares in the last quarter. Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth about $302,000. Larry Mathis Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter valued at about $593,000. Finally, Advisortrust Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $314,000. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.