Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) Reaches New 1-Year High on Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock traded as high as $154.50 and last traded at $156.0380, with a volume of 2075280 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $147.23.

The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.03. Gilead Sciences had a return on equity of 49.46% and a net margin of 28.90%.The business had revenue of $7.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.68 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.90 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Gilead Sciences has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.450-8.850 EPS.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. This is a boost 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%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. Gilead Sciences’s payout ratio is 46.68%.

Key Stories Impacting Gilead Sciences

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat consensus — revenue and EPS topped estimates, driven by HIV and liver‑disease portfolio strength and early traction for new products; this underpins analyst bullishness and longer‑term revenue visibility. GILD’s Q4 Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: Big wave of analyst price‑target increases and buy/outperform notes (examples: Morgan Stanley $171, Scotiabank $177, Needham/Wolfe $170, Wells Fargo & JPMorgan mid‑$160s) — brokers cite HIV momentum, margin expansion and product pipeline (Yeztugo, Yescarta) as reasons to raise targets. Analyst Coverage Summary
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase announced — quarterly dividend up to $0.82 (3.8% raise), supporting income investor appeal and signaling management confidence in cash flow.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call / transcripts published (multiple outlets) — useful for detail on guidance assumptions, product rollouts and cost/margin outlook but neutral until investors parse management commentary. Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Yescarta label expansion and new product commentary appear in coverage — potential medium‑term upside if uptake meets expectations; currently a pipeline/progression read‑through. Yescarta & Dividend Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest notes in data feeds show anomalous 0 shares / NaN changes — not meaningful evidence of a short squeeze or new bearish positioning based on available figures.
• Negative Sentiment: FY‑2026 guidance came in below some Street expectations — management’s outlook tempered the post‑earnings rally and is the principal reason for the intraday/extended‑session pullback despite the beat. Guidance / Shares Dip
• Negative Sentiment: At least one broker adjustment (Royal Bank of Canada) shows a lower relative price target in published feeds despite a PT raise vs. prior internal note — highlights disagreement among analysts on near‑term valuation and reinforces guidance‑driven uncertainty. RBC / Ticker Report

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on GILD. Bank of America set a $162.00 target price on shares of Gilead Sciences and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. HSBC boosted their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $133.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $160.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Wednesday. Needham & Company LLC lifted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $140.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on Gilead Sciences from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $152.42.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.31, for a total value of $372,930.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 150,503 shares in the company, valued at $18,709,027.93. The trade was a 1.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Johanna Mercier sold 28,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $125.86, for a total value of $3,524,080.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 107,193 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,491,310.98. The trade was a 20.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 319,391 shares of company stock worth $44,141,101. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in GILD. GoalVest Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 7,566.7% during the 2nd quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 230 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 227 shares in the last quarter. Corundum Trust Company INC purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences in the third quarter worth $26,000. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. acquired a new stake in Gilead Sciences in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Financial Consulate Inc. grew its stake in shares of Gilead Sciences by 85.8% during the 4th quarter. Financial Consulate Inc. now owns 236 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. 83.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Gilead Sciences Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $129.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $121.98. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $188.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.42, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.36.

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.