Aviva PLC Has $141.98 Million Stock Holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Aviva PLC grew its holdings in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,156,738 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after acquiring an additional 59,782 shares during the period. Aviva PLC’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $141,978,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. 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 buying an additional 26,882 shares in the last quarter. 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 buying an additional 7,168 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 619,690 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $75,962,000 after buying an additional 17,284 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 16.5% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 5,138,699 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $630,056,000 after buying an additional 726,101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 161,155 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $17,888,000 after buying an additional 6,680 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 3.6%

Shares of NASDAQ GILD opened at $125.87 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $156.28 billion, a PE ratio of 17.15 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.97, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1 year low of $104.46 and a 1 year high of $157.29. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $133.46 and its 200-day moving average is $134.34.

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

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 29th. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.82 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on GILD. Leerink Partners dropped their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $148.00 to $146.00 in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Gilead Sciences from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Rothschild & Co Redburn dropped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $170.00 to $167.00 in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Gilead Sciences from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Twenty-five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.93.

Trending Headlines about Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: Bernstein initiated/maintained a Buy view on Gilead, adding to the bullish analyst sentiment around the stock. Gilead Sciences (GILD) Gets a Buy from Bernstein
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead and Merck reported positive topline Phase 3 results for their once-weekly oral HIV regimen (islatravir + lenacapavir), which strengthens the company’s growth story and HIV franchise outlook. Is Gilead (GILD) One of the Top Large Cap Value Stocks to Buy Now?
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead’s HIV business continues to get attention for momentum from Biktarvy, Descovy, and Yeztugo, with late-stage pipeline progress supporting the long-term earnings outlook. Can Gilead Sciences HIV Franchise Drive Long-Term Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Recent Phase 3 IDEAL study results for Livdelzi in primary biliary cholangitis also reinforced confidence in Gilead’s pipeline development. Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD): a Top Deep Value Stock Making Progress on Pipeline Development
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead was cited in broader articles about pharma/biotech M&A and healthcare investing, which may keep the stock on traders’ radar but does not directly change fundamentals. Pharma and Biotech M&A Boom Accelerates as Companies Expand Pipelines
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually heavy call-option activity suggests traders are positioning for more upside, though it is not a fundamental development.
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead Foundation’s ~$3 million HIV/AIDS education commitment is positive for brand and ESG perception, but the financial impact is likely limited. National AIDS Memorial and the Gilead Foundation Launch Major Investment to Expand HIV/AIDS Education and Community Leadership

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.29, for a total transaction of $3,676,120.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 125,779 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,513,524.91. This trade represents a 18.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the firm’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 transaction 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 trade represents a 1.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 68,000 shares of company stock valued at $9,047,570 in the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.