Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) had its target price increased by equities researchers at Morgan Stanley from $150.00 to $171.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s price objective points to a potential upside of 12.64% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on GILD. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $135.00 price objective on Gilead Sciences and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Wall Street Zen lowered Gilead Sciences from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn increased their target price on Gilead Sciences from $153.00 to $159.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $152.42.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ GILD opened at $151.81 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $129.59 and its 200 day moving average is $121.98. The stock has a market cap of $188.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.42, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.36. Gilead Sciences has a 1-year low of $93.37 and a 1-year high of $157.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $7.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 28.90% and a return on equity of 49.46%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.90 earnings per share. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.450-8.850 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Gilead Sciences news, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 115,640 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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. This represents a 16.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.86, for a total value of $3,524,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 107,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,491,310.98. This trade represents a 20.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 319,391 shares of company stock worth $44,141,101 in the last quarter. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GoalVest Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 7,566.7% in the 2nd quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 230 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the period. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new position in Gilead Sciences in the third quarter worth about $26,000. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. bought a new position in Gilead Sciences in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Financial Consulate Inc. boosted its position in Gilead Sciences by 85.8% during the 4th quarter. Financial Consulate Inc. now owns 236 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat consensus — revenue and EPS topped estimates, driven by HIV and liver‑disease portfolio strength and early traction for new products; this underpins analyst bullishness and longer‑term revenue visibility. GILD’s Q4 Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Big wave of analyst price‑target increases and buy/outperform notes (examples: Morgan Stanley $171, Scotiabank $177, Needham/Wolfe $170, Wells Fargo & JPMorgan mid‑$160s) — brokers cite HIV momentum, margin expansion and product pipeline (Yeztugo, Yescarta) as reasons to raise targets. Analyst Coverage Summary
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase announced — quarterly dividend up to $0.82 (3.8% raise), supporting income investor appeal and signaling management confidence in cash flow.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call / transcripts published (multiple outlets) — useful for detail on guidance assumptions, product rollouts and cost/margin outlook but neutral until investors parse management commentary. Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Yescarta label expansion and new product commentary appear in coverage — potential medium‑term upside if uptake meets expectations; currently a pipeline/progression read‑through. Yescarta & Dividend Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest notes in data feeds show anomalous 0 shares / NaN changes — not meaningful evidence of a short squeeze or new bearish positioning based on available figures.
• Negative Sentiment: FY‑2026 guidance came in below some Street expectations — management’s outlook tempered the post‑earnings rally and is the principal reason for the intraday/extended‑session pullback despite the beat. Guidance / Shares Dip
• Negative Sentiment: At least one broker adjustment (Royal Bank of Canada) shows a lower relative price target in published feeds despite a PT raise vs. prior internal note — highlights disagreement among analysts on near‑term valuation and reinforces guidance‑driven uncertainty. RBC / Ticker Report

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.