Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Given New $200.00 Price Target at Needham & Company LLC

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) had its price target hoisted by Needham & Company LLC from $170.00 to $200.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 19th. Zacks Research cut Gilead Sciences from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 29th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. HSBC raised their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $168.00 to $172.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 20th. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $169.19.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 3.1%

Shares of GILD stock opened at $170.68 on Friday. Gilead Sciences has a 12 month low of $114.02 and a 12 month high of $175.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $150.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $139.79.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.36. The firm had revenue of $8.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.81 billion. Gilead Sciences had a negative net margin of 12.47% and a negative return on equity of 1.70%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.47 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Gilead Sciences will post -0.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 15th will be issued a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 15th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is presently -122.85%.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In other news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 3,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.22, for a total transaction of $468,660.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 113,684 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,759,714.48. The trade was a 2.57% 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, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.02, for a total value of $725,100.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 10,066 shares in the company, valued at $1,459,771.32. The trade was a 33.19% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 111,000 shares of company stock worth $15,877,860 over the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GILD. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in Gilead Sciences by 21.5% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 876 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $131,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Caldwell Trust Co boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 39.3% in the third quarter. Caldwell Trust Co now owns 1,705 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $254,000 after acquiring an additional 481 shares in the last quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 0.8% during the third quarter. 3Chopt Investment Partners LLC now owns 22,751 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $3,391,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. now owns 330,225 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $49,956,000 after purchasing an additional 31,109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 412.3% in the 3rd quarter. Provenance Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,418 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $2,000,000 after purchasing an additional 10,799 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

More Gilead Sciences News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results exceeded expectations. Gilead reported adjusted earnings of $2.55 per share versus the $2.19 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 6.8% year over year to $8.30 billion, beating expectations by roughly $500 million. Gilead Sciences Q3 earnings and revenues top estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its 2026 product-sales outlook to approximately $31.0 billion-$31.3 billion, up from $30.1 billion-$30.4 billion, following strong demand for HIV treatments. Base-business sales excluding Veklury reportedly increased 16%, the company’s strongest growth in more than a decade. Gilead Sciences lifts sales guidance on HIV portfolio strength
• Positive Sentiment: Key growth products performed well. Biktarvy continued to drive HIV sales, while Trodelvy revenue rose 41.7% year over year to $506 million. Livdelzi also contributed to growth, aided by a pan-Canadian public reimbursement agreement that could broaden patient access. GILD beats Q3 earnings on HIV strength and Trodelvy sales growth
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment improved materially. Citigroup, Scotiabank, Morgan Stanley, Truist, Wells Fargo, Needham and Cantor Fitzgerald all raised their price targets, with several maintaining buy or overweight-equivalent ratings. Targets generally range from $175 to $200. Analysts increase forecasts after upbeat Q3 results
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead declared a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share, equivalent to an annualized $3.28 payout and a stated yield of about 1.9%.
• Negative Sentiment: Longer-term pricing and concentration risks remain. Medicare pricing is expected to reduce Biktarvy’s price by approximately 38% beginning in 2028, potentially cutting annual revenue by about $1.5 billion. Analysts also note that oncology and immunology growth remains less developed, while some coverage characterizes the valuation as demanding after the rally. Gilead hikes 2026 sales outlook and discusses Biktarvy pricing

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.