Zacks Research Expects Lower Earnings for Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) – Analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q2 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Gilead Sciences in a report issued on Thursday, May 21st. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the biopharmaceutical company will post earnings per share of ($6.99) for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $1.99. The consensus estimate for Gilead Sciences’ current full-year earnings is ($0.79) per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Gilead Sciences’ Q3 2026 earnings at $1.84 EPS and FY2026 earnings at ($1.05) EPS.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.91 by $0.12. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 30.99% and a return on equity of 48.19%. The company had revenue of $6.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.91 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.81 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.050–0.650 EPS.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on GILD. UBS Group raised 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. Maxim Group upgraded shares of Gilead Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $165.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $175.00 to $168.00 in a report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $157.00 target price (up from $155.00) on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Friday, May 8th. Twenty-five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Gilead Sciences presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.93.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

Shares of GILD opened at $134.36 on Monday. Gilead Sciences has a one year low of $104.46 and a one year high of $157.29. The company has a 50-day moving average of $136.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $133.73. The stock has a market cap of $166.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.31 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.97 and a quick ratio of 1.77.

Institutional Trading of Gilead Sciences

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 52.1% during the third quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 78,494 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $8,713,000 after acquiring an additional 26,882 shares during the period. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 249.1% during the third quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 10,045 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $1,115,000 after acquiring an additional 7,168 shares during the period. Sector Gamma AS lifted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 15.9% during the third quarter. Sector Gamma AS now owns 147,239 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $16,344,000 after acquiring an additional 20,239 shares during the period. NewEdge Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 2.9% during the third quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 619,690 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $75,962,000 after acquiring an additional 17,284 shares during the period. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Gilead Sciences by 589.4% during the third quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 72,471 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $8,044,000 after acquiring an additional 61,959 shares during the period. 83.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Gilead Sciences

In other news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.27, for a total value of $396,810.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 173,191 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,907,973.57. This represents a 1.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Daniel Patrick O’day sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.16, for a total transaction of $1,291,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 632,567 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $81,702,353.72. This trade represents a 1.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 63,000 shares of company stock valued at $8,523,570 over the last three months. 0.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Gilead Sciences Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 29th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a $0.82 dividend. This represents a $3.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is 44.69%.

More Gilead Sciences News

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

• Positive Sentiment: The U.S. FDA granted accelerated approval to Hepcludex (bulevirtide-gmod) for chronic hepatitis delta virus (HDV), making it the first and only approved treatment in the U.S. for this rare and serious liver disease. That opens a new commercial opportunity in a high-unmet-need market. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead also received a CHMP positive opinion in Europe for Trodelvy in first-line metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, supporting broader international adoption of one of its key oncology products. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Gilead completed its Tubulis acquisition, adding next-generation antibody-drug conjugate assets and strengthening its oncology pipeline. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts at Zacks Research raised near-term EPS estimates for some periods and maintained strong longer-term profit expectations, which can support investor confidence in Gilead’s earnings outlook. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Gilead announced a renewed collaboration with the World Health Organization to help eliminate visceral leishmaniasis, a public-health initiative that is strategically positive but likely not an immediate stock driver. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Some analyst updates trimmed certain 2026–2028 earnings estimates, which may temper enthusiasm around the stock’s longer-term growth rate, even as recent product news remains favorable. Article Title

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.