Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Reaches New 1-Year High After Earnings Beat

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $154.50 and last traded at $156.0380, with a volume of 2075280 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $147.23.

The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $7.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 28.90% and a return on equity of 51.04%. The firm’s revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.90 EPS. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.450-8.850 EPS.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.82 per share. 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. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is 46.68%.

Key Gilead Sciences News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat — Gilead reported Q4 EPS and revenue above Street estimates, driven by strong HIV and liver‑disease franchise performance; investors see the quarter as confirmation of core portfolio strength. Reuters: Gilead quarterly results beat Wall Street estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raise forecasts and price targets — Multiple firms (Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, Needham, Scotiabank, Cantor Fitzgerald, etc.) lifted price targets and reiterated Buy/Overweight calls after the quarter, supporting further upside. MarketScreener: Morgan Stanley PT raise (example)
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend raise — Board increased the quarterly dividend to $0.82 (3.8% bump), boosting yield and appealing to income-oriented holders. BusinessWire: Dividend announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Product & label catalysts — Coverage notes (and analyst commentary) highlight Yeztugo’s market debut and potential CAR‑T (Yescarta) label expansions as multi‑year growth drivers. Yahoo Finance: Yescarta label expansion and dividend growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Street reactions and notes — Several analyst notes and earnings transcripts highlight margin expansion and HIV momentum; views vary on how much upside is baked into current multiples. Seeking Alpha: Q4 earnings call transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Odd short‑interest data — Recent feeds show anomalous/zero short interest figures (likely a reporting artifact); currently not a clear market pressure signal. (internal short interest entries)
• Negative Sentiment: Light FY‑2026 guidance — Management set FY‑2026 EPS and revenue guidance slightly below consensus, which initially prompted an after‑hours pullback and keeps some investors cautious about near‑term upside. MSN: Guidance seen as light
• Negative Sentiment: Some conservative analyst calls — A few firms (example: RBC) set price targets that imply downside versus current levels, reflecting caution around the guidance and near‑term execution risk. Benzinga: RBC PT update (example)

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on GILD. UBS Group lifted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Twenty-four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $146.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Gilead Sciences news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.31, for a total value of $372,930.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 150,503 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,709,027.93. This trade represents a 1.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 115,640 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $17,346,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 613,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $92,086,800. The trade was a 15.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 319,391 shares of company stock worth $44,141,101. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Picton Mahoney Asset Management boosted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 40.8% in the 4th quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 67,053 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $8,230,000 after purchasing an additional 19,427 shares in the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co raised its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 140.4% in the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 13,305 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,633,000 after buying an additional 7,770 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 34,090 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $4,184,000 after buying an additional 1,684 shares in the last quarter. Gilpin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth approximately $280,000. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC grew its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 8.4% during the fourth quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 13,105 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,609,000 after buying an additional 1,018 shares during the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 5.8%

The company has a market cap of $193.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.01, a P/E/G ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.36. The company’s 50-day moving average is $129.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $121.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.31.

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.