Confluence Investment Management LLC Trims Stock Position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Confluence Investment Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 909,835 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 43,111 shares during the period. Gilead Sciences makes up about 1.7% of Confluence Investment Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Confluence Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Gilead Sciences worth $111,673,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GILD. Csenge Advisory Group boosted its stake 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 during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 52.1% in the 3rd quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 78,494 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $8,713,000 after acquiring an additional 26,882 shares during the period. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 249.1% in the 3rd quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 10,045 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,115,000 after acquiring an additional 7,168 shares during the period. Railway Pension Investments Ltd lifted its holdings 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 during the last quarter. Finally, TriaGen Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,274,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on GILD. Leerink Partners lifted their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $146.00 to $148.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Argus raised their price target on Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Gilead Sciences from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, March 14th. Finally, Mizuho increased their target price on Gilead Sciences from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Twenty-four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $157.62.

Key Headlines Impacting Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline boost — Assembly Biosciences licensed a helicase‑primase inhibitor program (including candidates ABI‑5366 and ABI‑1179) to Gilead after positive Phase 1b interim data, adding early‑stage herpes assets to Gilead’s antiviral franchise and expanding near‑term development options. This is a clear pipeline + inorganic expansion signal. Assembly Biosciences Reports Year-End 2025 Financial Results and Recent Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — Multiple firms have raised targets or maintain buy ratings (Deutsche Bank, Jefferies, BofA, Needham), lifting consensus target above the current trade and providing institutional buying ammunition. This helps underpin the shares despite short‑term weakness.
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder return signal — Gilead recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.82 (ann. $3.28), reinforcing cash‑flow confidence and appeal to income investors. Dividend / SEC Filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Trending attention / coverage — Zacks and other outlets flagged GILD as a trending stock; that can increase intraday volume and volatility but doesn’t indicate fundamental change. Here is What to Know Beyond Why Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) is a Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Market‑flow signals — Unusual options activity and recent coverage pieces on valuation have attracted attention; these can amplify swings but are ambiguous for direction until large trades or analyst revisions follow. 2 Mega-Cap Nasdaq Stocks with Unusual Options Activity: What to Watch
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — Recent disclosed sales (including Johanna Mercier and a reported sale by the CFO) have been highlighted in filings and press summaries; insider sales can weigh on sentiment even when they’re routine or pre‑planned. Insider Sale – Johanna Mercier CFO SEC Filing

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 8,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,101,620. This trade represents a 35.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.23, for a total transaction of $432,690.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 179,191 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $25,844,717.93. This represents a 1.65% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 309,280 shares of company stock worth $44,068,850. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of GILD stock opened at $141.11 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $142.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $127.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $175.18 billion, a PE ratio of 20.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a quick ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 52 week low of $93.37 and a 52 week high of $157.29.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $7.93 billion for 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%.The company’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.90 earnings per share. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.450-8.850 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. This is an increase from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is 48.45%.

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.