Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) Stock Now Rated “Moderate Buy” by Wall Street Brokerages

Posted by Geri Gentry on Oct 21st, 2026

Gilead Sciences logo Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD – Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-nine ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twenty-three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $159.63.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. 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. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Thursday, October 8th. HSBC boosted their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Leerink Partners cut shares of Gilead Sciences from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $146.00 to $127.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 29th.

View Our Latest Research Report on GILD

Trending Headlines about Gilead Sciences

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

Positive Sentiment: Ulcerative colitis trial success strengthens the pipeline. Gilead reported positive Phase 2 SWIFT results for emvistegrast, an oral treatment for active ulcerative colitis. The data were described as “highly competitive,” supporting management’s strategy to expand into immunology and inflammatory bowel disease. Success in a large market could diversify Gilead beyond its HIV franchise. Gilead’s highly competitive mid-stage ulcerative colitis data validate I&I push
Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target and maintained a Buy rating. The target increased from $168 to $172, implying roughly 10% upside from the referenced price and signaling confidence in Gilead’s earnings outlook and pipeline prospects.
Positive Sentiment: Recent FDA decisions add commercial catalysts. Gilead received approval for the Bixlenvo HIV regimen, a first-line label expansion for Trodelvy in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, and approval for Hepcludex in chronic hepatitis delta. The company will also present 28 HIV and antiviral research findings at IDWeek 2026, potentially providing additional clinical updates. How Investors Are Reacting To Gilead Sciences FDA Drug Approvals
Positive Sentiment: Analyst and quantitative sentiment improved. Gilead was upgraded to Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), reflecting improving expectations for earnings prospects. Separately, 43 ETFs added Gilead shares, indicating some institutional demand. Gilead rating upgrade to Buy
Neutral Sentiment: Investors are weighing acquisitions against Gilead’s dependable HIV cash flow. Biktarvy and other HIV products continue to support recurring revenue and the dividend, but acquisitions such as Arcellx and Tubulis have increased research and integration costs. Gilead reportedly recorded a substantial trailing loss as it absorbs those investments.
Negative Sentiment: ETF selling and near-term profitability concerns could limit gains. ETFs were also reported as net sellers of Gilead on October 16, while coverage noted that the ulcerative-colitis trial win initially failed to lift the stock. Investors may remain focused on acquisition-related expenses and the path back to sustainable positive earnings. ETFs Are Net Sellers of Gilead Sciences

Insider Buying and Selling at Gilead Sciences

In related news, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $137.64, for a total transaction of $3,853,920.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 118,234 shares in the company, valued at $16,273,727.76. This represents a 19.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Anthony Welters sold 18,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $148.62, for a total value of $2,675,160.00. Following the sale, the director owned 12,894 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,916,306.28. The trade was 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. Insiders have sold 111,000 shares of company stock worth $15,877,860 in the last ninety days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the second quarter valued at about $15,393,785,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in Gilead Sciences during the second quarter valued at about $1,316,606,000. Deutsche Bank AG bought a new position in Gilead Sciences during the second quarter valued at about $918,387,000. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in Gilead Sciences during the second quarter valued at about $448,021,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $398,905,000. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Gilead Sciences Trading Up 2.2%

Shares of GILD stock opened at $156.51 on Wednesday. Gilead Sciences has a 12 month low of $114.02 and a 12 month high of $160.51. The company has a market cap of $194.06 billion, a PE ratio of -58.62 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $148.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.50.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($6.75) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($7.25) by $0.50. Gilead Sciences had a negative net margin of 10.64% and a negative return on equity of 2.11%. The company had revenue of $7.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.01 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Gilead Sciences will post -0.47 EPS for the current year.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th were paid a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is presently -122.85%.

Gilead Sciences Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.