Gilead Sciences’ (GILD) “Buy” Rating Reaffirmed at Needham & Company LLC

Needham & Company LLC restated their buy rating on shares of Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) in a research report sent to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. Needham & Company LLC currently has a $170.00 target price on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $128.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Mizuho raised their target price on Gilead Sciences from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $160.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Twenty-three research 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.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $155.44.

Gilead Sciences Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of Gilead Sciences stock opened at $149.83 on Monday. Gilead Sciences has a 12-month low of $93.37 and a 12-month high of $157.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $185.89 billion, a PE ratio of 22.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $134.07 and its 200-day moving average is $124.08.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $7.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.68 billion. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 49.46% and a net margin of 28.90%.Gilead Sciences’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.90 EPS. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.450-8.850 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This is an increase from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.68%.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In other Gilead Sciences news, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.50, for a total value of $617,500.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 8,920 shares in the company, valued at $1,101,620. This trade represents a 35.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.43, for a total transaction of $463,290.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 167,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $25,910,110.97. The trade was a 1.76% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 319,891 shares of company stock valued at $45,091,556 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth $2,617,152,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 397.6% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,748,403 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $748,147,000 after purchasing an additional 5,392,191 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth about $517,808,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 3,763.8% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,223,304 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $518,368,000 after purchasing an additional 4,113,999 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 33.5% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,521,228 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,499,098,000 after purchasing an additional 3,394,330 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Gilead agreed to acquire Arcellx in a deal valued at about $7.8B (cash $115/share + $5 CVR), giving Gilead full control of Anito‑cel, a next‑generation CAR‑T for multiple myeloma that could reach regulators this year — a clear strategic boost to Gilead’s oncology franchise. Gilead Sciences to Acquire Arcellx
• Positive Sentiment: Sell‑side support: Needham reaffirmed a “buy” on GILD with a $170 price target, highlighting upside based on pipeline and M&A execution, which provides analyst backing for the medium‑term thesis. Analyst Reaffirmation (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead scheduled several investor‑conference presentations (TD Cowen, Leerink, Barclays) in early March — useful for management to frame the Arcellx rationale and provide pipeline / guidance color. Gilead to Present at Upcoming Investor Conferences
• Neutral Sentiment: Health‑care sector dynamics and a mixed broader market (including a late‑day drop in the Dow) are a moderating force — sector strength earlier in the session partly offset by broader risk‑off moves. Sector Update (Yahoo Finance)
• Negative Sentiment: A law firm (Kahn Swick & Foti) is investigating the Arcellx sale for adequacy of price and process, which raises the risk of litigation or a proxy fight that could complicate closing or create management distraction. Arcellx Investor Alert (BusinessWire)
• Negative Sentiment: Market concern about the premium and $7.8B price tag (deal cited as ~68–80% premium) is weighing on Gilead — investors are parsing near‑term cash/valuation impact, integration risk and whether the price fairly reflects risk for an outpatient oncology program. Deal Coverage (Reuters)

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.