Prudential PLC Trims Stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Prudential PLC reduced its position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 173,376 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 9,442 shares during the period. Prudential PLC’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $21,280,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,617,152,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in 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 valued at $518,368,000 after acquiring an additional 4,113,999 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Gilead Sciences by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 121,097,336 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $14,863,487,000 after acquiring an additional 2,113,692 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Gilead Sciences by 154.3% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,089,283 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $342,910,000 after acquiring an additional 1,874,508 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Gilead Sciences by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 15,139,681 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,680,505,000 after acquiring an additional 1,618,453 shares during the last quarter. 83.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Gilead Sciences News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Gilead and Lakefront completed the acquisition of Ouro Medicines, expanding the company’s inflammation pipeline and adding gamgertamig, a potential first-in-class T cell engager for autoimmune diseases. This can support the stock by broadening long-term growth opportunities. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead reported positive Phase 3 IDEAL trial results for Livdelzi in primary biliary cholangitis, including improved ALP normalization, which strengthens the case for a larger liver disease franchise and potential regulatory momentum. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Additional coverage highlighted favorable Livdelzi data and the company’s expanding liver and oncology footprint, which may reinforce confidence in Gilead’s growth pipeline. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage also noted that Gilead is drawing investor attention and being compared with other healthcare names, but these articles are more commentary than a direct new catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Daniel Patrick O’Day sold 15,000 shares under a pre-arranged trading plan. While routine, insider selling can still weigh on sentiment for some investors. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

GILD has been the subject of several analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Barclays began coverage on Gilead Sciences in a research note on Friday, February 20th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $155.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Gilead Sciences from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Bank of America set a $162.00 target price on Gilead Sciences and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Twenty-six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.93.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

GILD opened at $129.18 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $160.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.60 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.97 and a quick ratio of 1.77. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $134.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $134.34. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1-year low of $104.46 and a 1-year high of $157.29.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.91 billion. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 48.19% and a net margin of 30.99%.The company’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.81 EPS. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050–0.650 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 29th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is currently 44.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.27, for a total value of $396,810.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 173,191 shares in the company, valued at $22,907,973.57. This represents a 1.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $131.29, for a total value of $3,676,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 125,779 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,513,524.91. This represents a 18.21% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 68,000 shares of company stock worth $9,047,570 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

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.