Macquarie Group Ltd. Cuts Stock Holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Macquarie Group Ltd. decreased its position in shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 30.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,109,148 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 479,391 shares during the quarter. Gilead Sciences accounts for 0.6% of Macquarie Group Ltd.’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest position. Macquarie Group Ltd.’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $136,137,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in GILD. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Financial Consulate Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 85.8% during the fourth quarter. Financial Consulate Inc. now owns 236 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. grew its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 54.8% during the fourth quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 243 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. BOCHK Asset Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Swiss RE Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other 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 Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.29, for a total transaction of $3,676,120.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 125,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,513,524.91. This trade represents a 18.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.27, for a total transaction of $396,810.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 173,191 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,907,973.57. The trade was a 1.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 68,000 shares of company stock valued at $9,047,570. Corporate insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on GILD. Argus increased their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Gilead Sciences from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $175.00 to $168.00 in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Friday, February 20th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $155.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Twenty-five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.93.

Gilead Sciences News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Gilead and Merck reported positive topline Phase 3 results for their once-weekly oral HIV regimen, a potentially important catalyst for Gilead’s HIV franchise and long-term growth. Is Gilead (GILD) One of the Top Large Cap Value Stocks to Buy Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein reiterated a Buy view on Gilead, and unusual call option activity suggests traders are positioning for upside ahead of additional catalysts. Gilead Sciences (GILD) Gets a Buy from Bernstein
• Positive Sentiment: The company advanced a Phase 2 study of denikitug in difficult-to-treat colorectal cancer, adding another pipeline readout that could broaden Gilead’s oncology prospects. Gilead Advances Denikitug Trial in Tough-to-Treat Colorectal Cancer
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead is donating remdesivir to Uganda to support Ebola response efforts, reinforcing the company’s reputation in infectious disease care and public-health leadership. Gilead Mobilizes Rapid Donation of Remdesivir to Support Ebola Response, Building on Decade-Long Commitment to Outbreak Relief
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead and the Gilead Foundation announced about $3 million in funding with the National AIDS Memorial for HIV/AIDS education and leadership initiatives, a brand-building effort with limited near-term earnings impact. National AIDS Memorial and the Gilead Foundation Launch Major Investment to Expand HIV/AIDS Education and Community Leadership
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group slightly lowered its FY2026 earnings estimate for Gilead, but the revision was small and stays close to the broader loss expectations already in place. Gilead Advances Denikitug Trial in Tough-to-Treat Colorectal Cancer
• Negative Sentiment: Recent commentary suggests Gilead’s stock has pulled back from its 50-day and 200-day moving averages, indicating some short-term technical pressure despite the positive pipeline news.

Gilead Sciences Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of GILD stock opened at $125.59 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $155.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.11 and a beta of 0.31. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $133.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $134.28. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a one year low of $104.46 and a one year high of $157.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.97 and a quick ratio of 1.77.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.91 billion. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 30.99% and a return on equity of 48.19%. Gilead Sciences’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.81 earnings per share. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050–0.650 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 29th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.69%.

Gilead Sciences 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.