Argent Trust Co Buys 21,785 Shares of Gilead Sciences, Inc. $GILD

Argent Trust Co boosted its stake in Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) by 32.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 89,447 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,785 shares during the quarter. Argent Trust Co’s holdings in Gilead Sciences were worth $9,929,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in GILD. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Gilead Sciences by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 119,364,226 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $13,233,912,000 after buying an additional 1,893,401 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Gilead Sciences by 2.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 29,207,662 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $3,231,548,000 after acquiring an additional 727,515 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,150,268,000. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Gilead Sciences by 33.5% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,521,228 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,499,098,000 after purchasing an additional 3,394,330 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 18.2% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 10,467,411 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $1,167,221,000 after purchasing an additional 1,614,355 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ GILD opened at $148.95 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $184.91 billion, a PE ratio of 22.00, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $136.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $124.77. Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a twelve month low of $93.37 and a twelve month high of $157.29.

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

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Argus boosted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $135.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Wolfe Research upped their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $155.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Daiwa Securities Group lifted their price target on Gilead Sciences from $129.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $128.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.72.

Insider Activity at Gilead Sciences

In other Gilead Sciences news, Director Jeffrey Bluestone sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.50, for a total value of $617,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,101,620. This trade represents a 35.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 115,640 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $15,611,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 566,698 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,504,230. The trade was a 16.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 299,280 shares of company stock valued at $42,487,570 over the last quarter. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: Gilead highlighted a twice-yearly HIV prevention injection with reported 99.9% efficacy (executive interview), reinforcing the company’s long-acting HIV/IP prevention market potential and upside to future sales if uptake and approvals follow. Johanna Mercier on Gilead’s HIV prevention innovation
• Positive Sentiment: New Phase 3 ARTISTRY-1 and ARTISTRY-2 data show the investigational single-tablet bictegravir/lenacapavir (BIC/LEN) maintained virological suppression when patients switched regimens — strengthens pipeline value and switch-market potential. Gilead’s Single-Tablet Regimen Maintained Virological Suppression
• Positive Sentiment: Daiwa raised its price target to $161 and kept an “outperform” rating, signaling buy-side confidence and giving shares technical/analyst momentum. Daiwa Securities Adjusts Price Target on Gilead Sciences
• Positive Sentiment: UBS reiterated a Buy with a $175 target, citing the advancing long-acting HIV franchise — another supportive analyst endorsement for upside. Gilead Sciences: Advancing Long-Acting HIV Franchise
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks issued a series of upward revisions to Gilead’s FY2026–FY2028 and multiple quarterly EPS forecasts (raises across 2026–2028), which supports higher medium-term earnings expectations. Zacks Research GILD Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces note Gilead has been outperforming the healthcare sector recently and analysts remain optimistic — supports momentum but is descriptive rather than new fundamental news. Gilead Sciences Stock: Is GILD Outperforming the Healthcare Sector?
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry/peer updates such as Kymera’s results were reported but are not directly material to Gilead’s near-term outlook. Kymera Therapeutics Q4 Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed its Q3 2026 EPS estimate slightly (from $2.34 to $2.30) — a small near-term downgrade within otherwise stronger multi-year raises; worth monitoring for quarterly variability. Zacks Lowers Q3 2026 Estimate
• Negative Sentiment: Merck reported promising Phase 3 results for a two-drug HIV regimen that matched Gilead’s Biktarvy, representing competitive pressure if approved. Investors should monitor regulatory outcomes and market-share implications. Merck’s New HIV Drug Shows Promise

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.