CVS Health Corp vs Gilead Sciences, Inc. — how do they compare? CVS Health Corp trades at $107.66 (market cap $135.48B), while Gilead Sciences, Inc. trades at $132.61 (market cap $161.45B). The key difference: Gilead Sciences, Inc. is the larger of the two by market cap, and Gilead Sciences, Inc. pays the higher dividend (2.52%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CVS | GILD | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $135.48B | $161.45B |
Sector | Health | Health |
52-Week High | $106.18 | $155.80 |
52-Week Low | $58.75 | $108.22 |
Enterprise Value | $202.02B | $175.98B |
Dividend Yield | 2.51% | 2.52% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
CVS Health trades at $105.9, up 1.68% recently, with a bullish technical signal and strong analyst support (84.6% buy ratings). The company has beaten earnings estimates for three consecutive quarters, including Q1 2026 EPS of $2.57 versus $2.18 expected. Revenue growth remains robust, reaching $402.07B in 2025, though net margins are thin at 0.72%. Recent news highlights a settlement with the FTC advancing prescription drug affordability initiatives.
The outlook is positive given earnings momentum and strategic positioning in healthcare services, but risks include regulatory pressures and margin compression. The consensus price target of $110.62 suggests modest upside from current levels, supported by dividend payments and institutional confidence.
Gilead Sciences (GILD) trades at $131.40, up 1.21% with strong technical momentum and bullish moving averages. The company demonstrates robust fundamentals with a 30.99% net income margin and consistent earnings beats in recent quarters. Recent FDA approvals for Trodelvy in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer and ongoing Ebola antiviral trials highlight pipeline strength. Analyst consensus remains strongly positive with a $152.83 price target.
GILD presents a compelling investment case with strong profitability, expanding oncology portfolio, and 67% analyst buy ratings. Key risks include patent expirations on HIV drugs and volatile cash flow trends. The stock offers 16% upside to consensus target with dividend support, though investors should monitor pipeline execution and generic competition timelines.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Following its acquisition of Aetna in late 2018, CVS Health now provides an even more integrated healthcare-services offering for its members. Legacy CVS combined both the largest pharmacy benefit manager, processing over 2 billion adjusted claims annually, and a sizable pharmacy operation, including nearly 10,000 retail pharmacy locations primarily in the U.S. Adding a managed-care organization with 24 million medical members gives the company a strong position in the insurance industry and should help CVS better control overall healthcare costs for its clients.
Read more on CVS →Gilead Sciences develops and markets therapies to treat life-threatening infectious diseases, with the core of its portfolio focused on HIV and hepatitis B and C. The acquisitions of Corus Pharma, Myogen, CV Therapeutics, Arresto Biosciences, and Calistoga have broadened this focus to include pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Gilead's acquisition of Pharmasset brought rights to hepatitis C drug Sovaldi, which is also part of combination drug Harvoni, and the Kite, Forty Seven, and Immunomedics acquisitions boost Gilead's exposure to cell therapy and noncell therapy in oncology.
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