Zacks Research Downgrades Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) to Hold

Posted by George Bondi on Oct 1st, 2026

Gilead Sciences logo Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD – Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Tuesday, Zacks reports.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. HSBC boosted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 10th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, September 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $158.78.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

NASDAQ GILD opened at $149.05 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $142.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $136.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $184.82 billion, a P/E ratio of -55.82 and a beta of 0.33. Gilead Sciences has a fifty-two week low of $108.46 and a fifty-two week high of $157.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.27.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($6.75) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($7.25) by $0.50. Gilead Sciences had a negative return on equity of 2.11% and a negative net margin of 10.64%.The business had revenue of $7.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.01 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Gilead Sciences will post -0.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.02, for a total value of $725,100.00. Following the sale, the director owned 10,066 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,459,771.32. This trade represents a 33.19% decrease in their position. 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 Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 12,894 shares in the company, valued at $1,916,306.28. This 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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 90,000 shares of company stock valued at $12,722,040. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 0.6% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 227,523 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $28,745,000 after purchasing an additional 1,277 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 61,216,552 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $7,734,099,000 after purchasing an additional 1,357,967 shares during the last quarter. Security National Bank of Sioux City Iowa IA purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences in the 2nd quarter valued at about $63,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 843.7% in the 2nd quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 2,831 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $358,000 after buying an additional 2,531 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bullseye Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the 2nd quarter worth about $2,085,000. 83.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Gilead Sciences Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Gilead Sciences, Inc (NASDAQ: GILD) is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes medicines for serious and life-threatening diseases. Its research and commercial activities focus primarily on virology, including HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, as well as oncology, inflammation and other areas of significant unmet medical need.

Gilead’s portfolio includes HIV treatments such as Biktarvy, Descovy, Genvoya and Sunlenca; hepatitis therapies including Epclusa, Harvoni and Vemlidy; and Veklury (remdesivir), an antiviral used to treat COVID-19 in certain patients.