Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Trims Stock Holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC reduced its position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 52.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,469 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 18,402 shares during the quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $1,828,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of GILD. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 119,364,226 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $13,233,912,000 after purchasing an additional 1,893,401 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 2.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 29,207,662 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $3,231,548,000 after buying an additional 727,515 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the second quarter worth about $2,150,268,000. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 33.5% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,521,228 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,499,098,000 after buying an additional 3,394,330 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi increased its position in Gilead Sciences by 18.2% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 10,467,411 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,167,221,000 after acquiring an additional 1,614,355 shares during the period. 83.67% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Gilead Sciences News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Daiwa Securities raised its price target on GILD to $161 and kept an “outperform” rating — a signal that some sell‑side desks see ~double‑digit upside from current levels. Daiwa Securities adjusts price target on Gilead Sciences to $161 from $129; maintains outperform
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple quarterly and multi‑year EPS estimates (FY2026–FY2028), reflecting better near‑term earnings visibility and supporting consensus upward revisions for 2026–2027 (Zacks now modeling higher EPS across several quarters).
• Positive Sentiment: UBS reiterated a Buy and kept a $175 price target, citing Gilead’s advancing long‑acting HIV franchise as a durable competitive advantage for future revenue growth. Gilead Sciences: Advancing Long-Acting HIV Franchise Underscores Competitive Edge and Supports Buy Rating
• Positive Sentiment: New Phase 3 ARTISTRY data presented at CROI show Gilead’s investigational single‑tablet bictegravir/lenacapavir maintained virological suppression with low discontinuation—strengthening Gilead’s HIV pipeline narrative and potential product breadth. Gilead’s Single-Tablet Regimen Maintained Virological Suppression (Business Wire)
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead agreed to acquire Arcellx for $115/share (~$7.8B) to bolster its oncology/BCMA pipeline — strategic for growth but sizable; market reaction can be mixed while investors assess synergies, price and integration. Gilead Snaps Up Arcellx For $115 Per Share — A $7.8 Billion Bet On Cancer Therapy
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure: Merck’s two‑drug HIV regimen matched Gilead’s Biktarvy in Phase 3 and is under FDA review — a meaningful competitor that raises pricing and market‑share concerns in the core HIV franchise. Merck’s New HIV Drug Shows Promise (Yahoo Finance)
• Negative Sentiment: Large M&A and ongoing competition increase near‑term uncertainty (integration costs, potential dilution, and execution risk), which can pressure the stock despite positive fundamental news.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on GILD. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $170.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Monday. Wolfe Research increased their price target on Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. HSBC boosted their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Leerink Partners raised their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $146.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group boosted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $129.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.72.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In other news, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 115,640 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $15,611,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 566,698 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $76,504,230. The trade was a 16.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.50, for a total transaction of $617,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 8,920 shares in the company, valued at $1,101,620. This represents a 35.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 299,280 shares of company stock valued at $42,487,570. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

NASDAQ:GILD opened at $143.77 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $135.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $124.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The stock has a market cap of $178.48 billion, a PE ratio of 21.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.36. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $93.37 and a fifty-two week high of $157.29.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.03. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 28.90% and a return on equity of 49.46%. The firm had revenue of $7.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.90 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.450-8.850 EPS. Analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. 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. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This is an increase from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.68%.

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.