Gilead Sciences Q1 EPS Forecast Increased by Zacks Research

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for Gilead Sciences in a research note issued on Tuesday, February 24th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the biopharmaceutical company will post earnings of $1.81 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.69. The consensus estimate for Gilead Sciences’ current full-year earnings is $7.95 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Gilead Sciences’ Q2 2026 earnings at $2.05 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.39 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $8.54 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.06 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.27 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.62 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.56 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $9.52 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $10.28 EPS.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 company’s revenue was up 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.90 EPS. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.450-8.850 EPS.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on GILD. Leerink Partners lifted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $146.00 to $148.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating and set a $160.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $171.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, HSBC raised their price target on Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Twenty-three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $156.72.

Gilead Sciences Trading Up 3.6%

NASDAQ GILD opened at $148.95 on Thursday. Gilead Sciences has a 52 week low of $93.37 and a 52 week high of $157.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The stock has a market cap of $184.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.00, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.36. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $136.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $124.77.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of GILD. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its stake in Gilead Sciences by 71.4% during the fourth quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 204 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Corundum Trust Company INC bought a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Quattro Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 60.0% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC now owns 216 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 115,640 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total transaction of $15,611,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 566,698 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $76,504,230. This trade represents a 16.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of Gilead Sciences stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.44, for a total value of $4,324,320.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 120,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,577,278.72. This represents a 18.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 299,280 shares of company stock worth $42,487,570. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.82 per share. 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 dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.68%.

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

About Gilead Sciences

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.