Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Has $8.71 Million Stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management raised its position in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 52.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 78,494 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 26,882 shares during the quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $8,713,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. GoalVest Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 7,566.7% in the 2nd quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 230 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Howard Hughes Medical Institute bought a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Putney Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 53.4% in the second quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC now owns 270 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MTM Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 176.0% during the 3rd quarter. MTM Investment Management LLC now owns 276 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the period. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Gilead Sciences News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat and firm guidance: Gilead reported $1.86 EPS vs. $1.83 est. and $7.93B revenue (above estimates) and set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $8.45–$8.85 — a catalyst for re-rating. Analyst Reactions Post‑Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Argus raised its price target to $165 and kept a Buy rating, adding analyst-driven upside (~mid-single digits vs. current levels). Argus PT Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho lifted its target to $170 and kept an Outperform rating, supporting a higher consensus valuation and momentum for buy‑side flows. Mizuho PT Raise
• Neutral Sentiment: Barclays initiated coverage with an Equal‑Weight rating and $155 target — neither a strong buy nor a sell signal, but it provides fresh institutional coverage. Barclays Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader analyst and media coverage (Zacks, Yahoo, Benzinga retrospectives) is keeping GILD in focus for retail/institutional investors; these pieces inform positioning but are mixed in directional impact. Zacks Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest data in the feed looks anomalous/zeroed out and provides no clear sell pressure signal at present (data likely noisy).
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CFO Andrew Dickinson sold 3,000 shares (~$154.43 avg price) — a small amount but negative for sentiment when combined with other insider moves. CFO Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Material insider sale: Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares (~$154.44 avg), an ~18.9% reduction in her holding — a larger ticket that can weigh on investor confidence. Mercier Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: “Time to take profits” / rating downgrade commentary is circulating, which can trigger short‑term selling from momentum traders. Seeking Alpha Take‑Profits Piece

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GILD has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $171.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $103.00 to $118.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $155.44.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $124.31, for a total value of $372,930.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 150,503 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,709,027.93. The trade was a 1.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.08, for a total transaction of $625,400.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 8,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,115,713.60. This trade represents a 35.92% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 319,891 shares of company stock worth $45,091,556 in the last ninety days. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Gilead Sciences Stock Up 0.2%

NASDAQ GILD opened at $151.40 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.68, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The company has a market cap of $187.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.36, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a 50 day moving average of $133.47 and a 200-day moving average of $123.63. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a 1-year low of $93.37 and a 1-year high of $157.29.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $7.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.68 billion. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 49.46% and a net margin of 28.90%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.90 earnings per share. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.450-8.850 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Gilead Sciences, Inc. will post 7.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.82 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This is an increase from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.68%.

Gilead Sciences Company Profile

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.