Zacks Research Expects Lower Earnings for Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) – Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for Gilead Sciences in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, April 14th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the biopharmaceutical company will earn $1.76 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $1.81. The consensus estimate for Gilead Sciences’ current full-year earnings is $7.95 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Gilead Sciences’ Q2 2026 earnings at $2.00 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.34 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $8.34 EPS.

GILD has been the topic of a number of other research reports. UBS Group raised their price target on Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $160.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $128.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Twenty-four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $156.77.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ GILD opened at $138.55 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $144.65 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $131.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $171.97 billion, a PE ratio of 20.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.40. Gilead Sciences 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 results on Tuesday, February 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.03. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 49.46% and a net margin of 28.90%.The business had revenue of $7.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.90 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.450-8.850 EPS.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. This is a boost from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is presently 48.45%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.50, for a total transaction of $617,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 8,920 shares in the company, valued at $1,101,620. The trade was a 35.92% decrease in their position. The transaction 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 the 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 566,698 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,504,230. This represents a 16.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 299,280 shares of company stock valued at $42,920,450 over the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Csenge Advisory Group grew its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 319.0% during the third quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 21,394 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $2,375,000 after buying an additional 16,288 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 52.1% during the 3rd quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 78,494 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $8,713,000 after acquiring an additional 26,882 shares during the last quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 249.1% during the 3rd quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 10,045 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,115,000 after acquiring an additional 7,168 shares during the last quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd grew its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd now owns 1,415,665 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $157,139,000 after acquiring an additional 42,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TriaGen Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 3rd quarter worth $1,274,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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: Wells Fargo reiterated a buy rating on Gilead, supporting investor confidence in the company’s longer-term fundamentals. Wells Fargo Sticks to Their Buy Rating for Gilead Sciences (GILD)
• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. Department of State expanded a partnership with Gilead and The Global Fund to provide 1 million doses of lenacapavir, boosting addressable market and public-health visibility for Gilead’s HIV prevention franchise. US-Led Partnership To Provide 1 Mln Lenacapavir To Help End HIV Transmission
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup coverage remains constructive, with at least one analyst publicly saying GILD’s stock is expected to rise — a counterbalance to short‑term caution. Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Citigroup Analyst Says
• Neutral Sentiment: Two insiders (including the CFO) sold small percentages of their positions via pre‑arranged Rule 10b5‑1 plans; such trades signal liquidity-taking rather than new negative information. SEC Form 4 (Andrew D. Dickinson)
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead is expected to report quarterly results soon, which typically increases volatility as investors position around guidance and product trends. Gilead Sciences (GILD) Expected to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Thursday
• Neutral Sentiment: Media and analyst coverage (valuation pieces and trending‑stock notes) are driving attention but not yet altering fundamentals. Gauging Gilead Sciences (GILD) Valuation After Strong Multi‑Year Shareholder Returns
• Negative Sentiment: RBC reported that persistence for Gilead’s HIV drug nine months after launch is weaker than expected — a potential hit to longer‑term revenue/kicker assumptions for the new product. Gilead Sciences’ HIV Drug Shows Weaker-Than-Expected Persistence Nine Months After Launch, RBC Says
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research trimmed Q1–Q4 FY2026 EPS forecasts, lowering near‑term earnings expectations and increasing downside risk to consensus estimates. Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Negative Sentiment: Broader health‑care stocks were softer late in the session, which amplified downward pressure on Gilead despite some stock‑specific positives. Sector Update: Health Care Stocks Decline Late Afternoon

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.