Morgan Stanley Cuts Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Price Target to $165.00

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) had its price objective trimmed by Morgan Stanley from $166.00 to $165.00 in a report published on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on 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 research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $157.00 to $156.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Daiwa Securities Group lowered their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $161.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Finally, Leerink Partners cut shares of Gilead Sciences from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $146.00 to $127.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Twenty-five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $157.93.

Gilead Sciences Trading Down 1.2%

NASDAQ GILD opened at $132.73 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Gilead Sciences has a 52 week low of $108.46 and a 52 week high of $157.29. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $129.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $135.84. The company has a market cap of $164.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.08 and a beta of 0.32.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.12. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 48.19% and a net margin of 30.99%.The company had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.91 billion. During the same period last year, the business 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. As a group, equities analysts expect that Gilead Sciences will post -0.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $131.46, for a total value of $1,971,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 617,567 shares in the company, valued at $81,185,357.82. This represents a 2.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $125.40, for a total transaction of $376,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 171,646 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,524,408.40. This represents a 1.72% 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 67,000 shares of company stock valued at $8,687,140 in the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GILD. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 20.6% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 14,359 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,326,000 after acquiring an additional 2,450 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences in the fourth quarter worth $215,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Gilead Sciences by 16.8% in 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 during the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC grew its stake in Gilead Sciences by 12.0% in the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 118,695 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $13,160,000 after purchasing an additional 12,705 shares during the period. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Gilead Sciences by 18.6% in the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,296 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $516,000 after purchasing an additional 674 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS analyst Michael Yee reiterated a Buy rating and maintained a $175 price target, citing Gilead’s long-acting HIV pipeline and advances in pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as sources of durable growth. Michael Yee Reiterates Buy on Gilead
• Positive Sentiment: The earnings preview highlights continued strength in Gilead’s HIV franchise, rising expectations for Yeztugo, and progress in oncology. These businesses could help support revenue growth and investor sentiment if management provides constructive guidance. Gilead to Report Q2 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead’s CAR-T therapies remain established products, but off-the-shelf developers are targeting market segments that approved therapies do not fully address. This could expand the broader CAR-T market while also increasing competitive pressure over time. BMS and Gilead Rule in the CAR-T Space
• Negative Sentiment: Barclays lowered its Gilead price target from $155 to $145 and assigned an Equal Weight rating, signaling more limited near-term upside despite the target remaining above the current trading level. Barclays Gilead Price Target Update
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst previews warn that Gilead may report a decline in second-quarter earnings and does not appear to have the usual combination of positive earnings revisions and estimate-beat indicators. Competitive pressure in Cell Therapy is an additional concern heading into the report. Analysts Estimate Gilead to Report a Decline in Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Atea Pharmaceuticals said its hepatitis C combination therapy matched Gilead’s drug in a pivotal Phase 3 trial. If approved, a competing oral regimen could threaten Gilead’s hepatitis C franchise, although commercialization and regulatory risks remain. Atea Hepatitis C Phase 3 Trial

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.