Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Stock Rating Upgraded by Maxim Group

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Maxim Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has a $165.00 target price on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock. Maxim Group’s target price suggests a potential upside of 26.44% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Gilead Sciences from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Daiwa Securities Group reduced their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $161.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Twenty-five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.93.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of Gilead Sciences stock opened at $130.50 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.97 and a quick ratio of 1.77. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $137.18 and a 200 day simple moving average of $133.48. Gilead Sciences has a fifty-two week low of $104.46 and a fifty-two week high of $157.29. The firm has a market cap of $162.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.78 and a beta of 0.31.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.91 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.91 billion. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 48.19% and a net margin of 30.99%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.81 EPS. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050–0.650 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Gilead Sciences will post -0.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In related news, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 10,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.16, for a total transaction of $1,291,600.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 632,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $81,702,353.72. This trade represents a 1.56% 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 business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.27, for a total transaction of $396,810.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 173,191 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,907,973.57. This represents a 1.70% 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. Insiders have sold 63,000 shares of company stock worth $8,523,570 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Gilead Sciences

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Western Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 104.8% during the 1st quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,949 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,108,000 after purchasing an additional 4,068 shares in the last quarter. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Gilead Sciences by 4.5% during the 1st quarter. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,965 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $274,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Hamilton Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 210.5% during the 1st quarter. Hamilton Wealth LLC now owns 119,118 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $16,601,000 after buying an additional 80,751 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems lifted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 61.9% in the first quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 126,596 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $17,644,000 after buying an additional 48,403 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 5.9% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,972,639 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $274,919,000 after buying an additional 110,525 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% 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.