Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Now Covered by UBS Group

UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) in a research note published on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $145.00 price target on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on GILD. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Gilead Sciences from $147.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, December 12th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, HSBC raised their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $133.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.20.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 2.5%

Gilead Sciences stock opened at $124.35 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $154.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.28, a PEG ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.33. Gilead Sciences has a 52-week low of $88.57 and a 52-week high of $128.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.45. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $123.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $117.39.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.47 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.31. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 27.88% and a return on equity of 51.86%. The company had revenue of $7.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.02 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.050-8.250 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Gilead Sciences will post 7.95 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $3.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is 48.99%.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In other news, Director Kelly A. Kramer sold 2,805 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $127.10, for a total value of $356,515.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,339 shares in the company, valued at $170,186.90. This trade represents a 67.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.83, for a total value of $1,248,300.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 566,698 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $70,740,911.34. This trade represents a 1.73% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 136,257 shares of company stock valued at $16,855,192. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Gilead Sciences

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 33.5% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,521,228 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,499,098,000 after purchasing an additional 3,394,330 shares during the period. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC grew its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 25.0% during the second quarter. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC now owns 50,000 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $5,544,000 after purchasing an additional 10,000 shares during the period. One Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 34.8% during the second quarter. One Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,163 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,016,000 after purchasing an additional 2,364 shares during the period. Railway Pension Investments Ltd increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 3.1% in the third quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd now owns 1,415,665 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $157,139,000 after buying an additional 42,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TriaGen Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the third quarter valued at $1,274,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS assigns a Buy rating and $145 price target, citing PrEP-led growth, easing HIV overhangs and pipeline upside as reasons to support a re-rating into 2027. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $140 and kept a Buy rating, signaling analyst conviction that shares have meaningful upside from current levels. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights Gilead as a strong momentum stock based on its style scores, reinforcing the technical/quantitative case that investors may be rotating into the shares. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead announced a research collaboration with OncoNano to test ON-BOARD™ encapsulation on a Gilead drug candidate — a partnership that could enhance delivery/stability and add optionality to the pipeline if the work advances. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: An article from Kalkine Media discusses Gilead in the context of Nasdaq‑100 and biopharma index dynamics; index inclusion/weighting stories can drive passive flows but the direct impact is uncertain. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Yahoo Finance and MSN ran pieces assessing Gilead’s recent share momentum and post‑Q3 positioning; these are broad-market/valuation reads that inform sentiment but don’t convey new firm-level catalysts. Read More. Read More.

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.