Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Stock Rating Upgraded by Zacks Research

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report released on Monday, Zacks reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Gilead Sciences’ Q1 2027 earnings at $2.09 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.24 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.43 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.60 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $9.36 EPS.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Maxim Group raised shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $165.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Gilead Sciences from $166.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings cut Gilead Sciences from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 15th. Finally, HSBC raised Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $133.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Monday, July 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $158.04.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

Shares of GILD stock opened at $149.92 on Monday. Gilead Sciences has a twelve month low of $108.46 and a twelve month high of $157.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $135.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $136.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $185.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -56.15 and a beta of 0.33.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($6.75) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($7.25) by $0.50. Gilead Sciences had a negative return on equity of 2.11% and a negative net margin of 10.64%.The firm had revenue of $7.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.01 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Gilead Sciences will post -0.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In other Gilead Sciences news, Director Anthony Welters sold 18,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $148.62, for a total value of $2,675,160.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 12,894 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,916,306.28. The trade was a 58.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $137.64, for a total transaction of $3,853,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 118,234 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,273,727.76. This represents a 19.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 90,000 shares of company stock worth $12,266,220 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,887 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $477,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 7,724 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $948,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Davidson Trust Co. increased its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Davidson Trust Co. now owns 1,879 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC raised its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 6,619 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $812,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. boosted its position in Gilead Sciences by 30.2% during the first quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. now owns 328 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: FDA approval expands HIV portfolio: The FDA approved Bixlenvo, Gilead’s once-daily, single-tablet regimen for virologically suppressed adults with HIV. The treatment could broaden Gilead’s offerings, particularly among underserved patients, and create an additional source of HIV revenue. FDA Approves Gilead’s New Single Tablet HIV Regimen
• Positive Sentiment: Strong Buy ranking reinforces earnings optimism: Zacks upgraded Gilead to a Rank #1, or Strong Buy, citing improving earnings prospects. The upgrade may attract additional investor interest. Gilead Upgraded to Strong Buy
• Positive Sentiment: 2027 earnings estimates moved higher: Zacks raised its forecasts for every quarter in 2027 by $0.01 to $0.02 per share and increased its full-year estimate to $9.36 from $9.30. Erste Group also lifted its FY2027 estimate to $9.86 from $9.57. Although the revisions are modest, they indicate improving analyst expectations for Gilead’s earnings trajectory.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst support comes with limitations: Wall Street’s average recommendation remains favorable, but the accompanying analysis notes that sell-side ratings can be overly optimistic and may have limited predictive value. Investors will likely look for evidence that Bixlenvo gains meaningful market adoption.
• Neutral Sentiment: Stock near the upper end of its range: GILD is trading well above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages and close to its 52-week high, suggesting that considerable optimism may already be reflected in the valuation. This could limit near-term upside if product launches or earnings fail to exceed expectations.

About Gilead Sciences

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.