Needham & Company LLC Issues Positive Forecast for Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Stock Price

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) had its price target increased by equities researchers at Needham & Company LLC from $170.00 to $200.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the biopharmaceutical company’s stock. Needham & Company LLC‘s price target points to a potential upside of 20.77% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Gilead Sciences from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $123.00 to $126.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Bank of America lifted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $168.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Finally, Leerink Partners downgraded Gilead Sciences from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $146.00 to $127.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Twenty-three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $162.93.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of GILD opened at $165.61 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $150.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $139.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.03. Gilead Sciences has a 52 week low of $114.02 and a 52 week high of $165.70. The stock has a market cap of $205.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -62.03 and a beta of 0.31.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Gilead Sciences news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $156.22, for a total transaction of $468,660.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 161,096 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,166,417.12. The trade was a 1.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Daniel O’Day sold 15,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.90, for a total value of $2,218,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 566,683 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $83,812,415.70. This trade represents a 2.58% 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 sold a total of 111,000 shares of company stock valued at $15,877,860 in the last 90 days. 0.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. PFS Partners LLC raised its holdings in Gilead Sciences by 101.1% in the 3rd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 191 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Wiser Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 earnings and revenue exceeded expectations. Gilead reported non-GAAP EPS of $2.55, above the $2.19 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 6.8% year over year to $8.30 billion versus expectations of approximately $7.81 billion. Gilead Sciences third-quarter earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: HIV medicines drove the performance. The company highlighted 16% growth in its base business, led by the Biktarvy HIV franchise, while cancer drug Trodelvy also contributed to sales growth. The results represent Gilead’s strongest sales growth in roughly a decade. Gilead HIV franchise earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Full-year sales guidance was raised. Gilead now expects 2026 product sales of $31.0 billion to $31.3 billion, up from its previous range of $30.1 billion to $30.4 billion and modestly above Wall Street’s expectations. Gilead raises sales guidance
• Positive Sentiment: The quarterly dividend was maintained. Gilead declared an $0.82-per-share quarterly dividend, or $3.28 annualized, representing an approximately 2% yield based on the provided share price. The dividend is payable December 30 to shareholders of record December 15.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst reaction was mixed. Robert W. Baird assigned the shares a Hold rating, suggesting the strong operating results may be balanced by valuation near record levels and uncertainty surrounding the company’s pipeline and future growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Profitability and pricing risks temper the report. Gilead widened its 2026 non-GAAP loss forecast, while Medicare-related changes are expected to reduce Biktarvy’s price by 38% beginning in 2028. These factors could pressure future earnings despite the current sales momentum. Gilead Biktarvy pricing and sales outlook

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.