Handelsbanken Fonder AB Trims Stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lessened its stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,151,328 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after selling 12,992 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $127,797,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 20.6% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 14,359 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,326,000 after acquiring an additional 2,450 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter worth about $215,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Gilead Sciences by 16.8% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,182 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $464,000 after purchasing an additional 602 shares in the last quarter. Rossby Financial LCC grew its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 21.7% in the second quarter. Rossby Financial LCC now owns 818 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the second quarter valued at approximately $71,770,000. 83.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: Gilead agreed to acquire Arcellx for $115 per share in cash, a $7.8 billion deal that boosts Gilead’s oncology/cell-therapy exposure and adds potential long‑term growth avenues. The transaction is material in size and supports the company’s pipeline diversification. Gilead Snaps Up Arcellx For $115 Per Share — A $7.8 Billion Bet On Cancer Therapy
• Positive Sentiment: New Phase 3 ARTISTRY data showed Gilead’s single‑tablet bictegravir/lenacapavir maintained virological suppression with low discontinuation rates — supportive for Gilead’s long‑acting HIV franchise and potential market share gains on switches. Gilead’s experimental HIV treatment shows low discontinuation rates in studies
• Positive Sentiment: Daiwa raised its price target to $161 and kept an “outperform” rating, implying notable upside versus current levels — a helpful analyst endorsement for sentiment. Daiwa Securities Adjusts Price Target on Gilead Sciences to $161
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks issued a series of upward EPS revisions across 2026–2028 (FY2026 to $8.54, FY2027 and FY2028 also raised) and lifted multiple quarterly estimates, which supports a stronger forward earnings outlook versus consensus. (Zacks research notes)
• Positive Sentiment: UBS reiterated a Buy and maintained a $175 price target, highlighting confidence in Gilead’s long‑acting HIV strategy. Gilead Sciences: Advancing Long-Acting HIV Franchise Underscores Competitive Edge and Supports Buy Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Kymera Therapeutics reported strong results in its Q4 update — broadly positive for the biotech sector but not directly material to Gilead’s immediate fundamentals. Kymera Therapeutics Inc (KYMR) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Merck’s two‑drug HIV regimen matched Gilead’s Biktarvy in Phase 3 and is under FDA review — this increases competitive pressure in the core HIV market and could weigh on future market share/pricing. Merck’s New HIV Drug Shows Promise. Its Chief Medical Officer Explains Why Wall Street Should Care.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed its Q3 2026 EPS estimate slightly (from $2.34 to $2.30), a modest near-term downtick in expectations that may contribute to selling pressure. (Zacks research note)

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on GILD. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $171.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Leerink Partners upped their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $146.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.72.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

GILD opened at $143.77 on Friday. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a twelve month low of $93.37 and a twelve month high of $157.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $178.48 billion, a PE ratio of 21.24, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $135.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $124.58.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last released its earnings results 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 net margin of 28.90% and a return on equity of 49.46%. The business’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.90 EPS. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.450-8.850 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Gilead Sciences news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $154.44, for a total value of $4,324,320.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 120,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,577,278.72. This trade represents a 18.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 115,640 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $17,346,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 613,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $92,086,800. This represents a 15.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 299,280 shares of company stock valued at $42,487,570 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

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.