Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Reaches New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday. The company traded as high as $160.83 and last traded at $159.3710, with a volume of 1,737,812 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $159.08.

Key Stories Impacting Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: Gilead reported third-quarter revenue of $8.30 billion, up 6.8% year over year and well above the approximately $7.81 billion consensus estimate. Non-GAAP EPS of $2.55 also exceeded expectations near $2.19, providing the main catalyst for the stock’s rally. Gilead Sciences Announces Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its 2026 product-sales outlook to $31.0 billion–$31.3 billion from $30.1 billion–$30.4 billion, reflecting continued strength in its HIV franchise. Gilead Sciences Lifts Sales Guidance on HIV Portfolio Strength
• Positive Sentiment: Trodelvy sales rose 41.7% year over year to $506 million, strengthening Gilead’s oncology growth story. The company also agreed to acquire PepStar’s oral IL-23R inhibitor program, including HCXT-2001, for $1.275 billion upfront, adding to its pipeline. Gilead Sciences: Why I Remain Bullish After Q3
• Positive Sentiment: Needham raised its price target to $200 from $170 and assigned a Buy rating. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted its target to $175 from $155 and upgraded its view to Overweight, reinforcing bullish sentiment after the results.
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead declared a quarterly dividend of $0.82 per share, or $3.28 annualized, supporting the stock’s income appeal with an approximately 2% yield.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the quarterly beat, Gilead lowered its earnings outlook and widened its projected 2026 non-GAAP loss. Investors also face a planned 38% Medicare price reduction for Biktarvy beginning in 2028, a longer-term risk to the company’s largest franchise. Gilead hikes 2026 sales outlook

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $184.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research report on Friday. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $158.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Gilead Sciences from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 29th. Barclays decreased their price target on Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Gilead Sciences has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $162.00.

Gilead Sciences Trading Up 4.0%

The firm has a market capitalization of $205.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -62.03 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $150.33 and its 200 day moving average is $139.55.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.36. The company had revenue of $8.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.81 billion. Gilead Sciences had a negative return on equity of 2.11% and a negative net margin of 10.64%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.47 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post -0.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 15th will be paid a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 15th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -122.85%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.02, for a total transaction of $725,100.00. Following the sale, the director owned 10,066 shares in the company, valued at $1,459,771.32. The trade was a 33.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Anthony Welters sold 18,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.62, for a total transaction of $2,675,160.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 12,894 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,916,306.28. This trade represents a 58.26% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 111,000 shares of company stock worth $15,877,860. 0.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GILD. PFS Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 101.1% in the 3rd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 191 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Finally, Toth Financial Advisory Corp grew its position in Gilead Sciences by 85.5% in the third quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 217 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Company Profile

Gilead Sciences, Inc is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes medicines for serious and life-threatening diseases. The company is best known for its HIV treatments, including Biktarvy, Descovy, Genvoya and Truvada, as well as therapies for chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Its portfolio also includes Veklury (remdesivir), an antiviral treatment for COVID-19.

Gilead has expanded into oncology and cell therapy through products such as Trodelvy and the CAR T-cell therapies Yescarta and Tecartus, which are developed and marketed through its Kite subsidiary.