Zacks Research Forecasts Lower Earnings for Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) – Analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for Gilead Sciences in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, February 25th. Zacks Research analyst E. Bagri now forecasts that the biopharmaceutical company will post earnings per share of $2.20 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $2.21. The consensus estimate for Gilead Sciences’ current full-year earnings is $7.95 per share.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.23. Gilead Sciences had a net margin of 1.67% and a return on equity of 31.63%.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on GILD. Mizuho increased their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $109.00 price objective on shares of Gilead Sciences in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Gilead Sciences from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Gilead Sciences from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Gilead Sciences from $113.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $102.08.

Gilead Sciences Price Performance

NASDAQ GILD opened at $114.31 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $97.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $89.94. Gilead Sciences has a 1 year low of $62.07 and a 1 year high of $114.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.50 and a quick ratio of 1.20. The company has a market cap of $142.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 308.95, a PEG ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.18.

Gilead Sciences Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.79 per share. This is a positive change from Gilead Sciences’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.77. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.76%. Gilead Sciences’s dividend payout ratio is presently 854.05%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Andrew D. Dickinson sold 8,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.96, for a total transaction of $781,660.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 132,373 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,173,021.08. This represents a 6.03 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders sold 293,356 shares of company stock worth $29,166,240 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.16% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Gilead Sciences

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BridgePort Financial Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth $357,000. Total Wealth Planning & Management Inc. purchased a new position in Gilead Sciences during the fourth quarter worth about $496,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at about $104,402,000. Talaria Asset Management Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $13,643,000. Finally, ABLE Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Gilead Sciences during the 4th quarter worth approximately $234,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.67% of the company’s stock.

Gilead Sciences Company Profile

Gilead Sciences, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company, discovers, develops, and commercializes medicines in the areas of unmet medical need in the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company provides Biktarvy, Genvoya, Descovy, Odefsey, Truvada, Complera/ Eviplera, Stribild, Sunlencs, and Atripla products for the treatment of HIV/AIDS; Veklury, an injection for intravenous use, for the treatment of COVID-19; and Epclusa, Harvoni, Vemlidy, and Viread for the treatment of viral hepatitis.