Analysts’ Top Healthcare Picks: Galapagos NV (GLPG), Gilead Sciences (GILD)


There’s a lot to be optimistic about in the Healthcare sector as 2 analysts just weighed in on Galapagos NV (GLPG) and Gilead Sciences (GILD) with bullish sentiments.

Galapagos NV (GLPG)

Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Eliana Merle initiated coverage with a Buy rating on Galapagos NV today and set a price target of $130. The company’s shares closed yesterday at $97.86.

Merle commented:

“We think 2019 is the year that filgotinib could differentiate itself among the JAKs. Galapagos (GLPG) is a Belgian biotechnology company focused on developing therapeutics for inflammation and fibrotic conditions. Lead asset, filgotinib, is a JAK inhibitor in collaboration with Gilead (OW, A. Young) for many chronic inflammatory conditions (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis). We think that filgotinib’s potential is underappreciated and that upside in ’19 could come from Ph3 readouts that will show its profile.”

According to TipRanks.com, Merle is a 1-star analyst with an average return of -13.3% and a 0.0% success rate. Merle covers the Healthcare sector, focusing on stocks such as Vertex Pharmaceuticals, AnaptysBio Inc, and BioMarin.

The word on The Street in general, suggests a Strong Buy analyst consensus rating for Galapagos NV with a $130.50 average price target, representing a 33.4% upside. In a report issued on December 13, Credit Suisse also upgraded the stock to Buy.

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Gilead Sciences (GILD)

Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Alethia Young reiterated a Buy rating on Gilead Sciences today and set a price target of $92. The company’s shares closed yesterday at $64.84, close to its 52-week low of $64.27.

Young noted:

“: Reiterate Overweight and we are increasing our price target to $92 from $88/share. Cantor’s small-mid-cap analyst Ellie Merle is out with a deep dive on the JAK industry space (LINK) in conjunction with her Galapagos launch (LINK). Based on the deep dive work, we have increased our peak 2027 filgotinib sales estimate from $2.75B to $4B, with sales in various indications. We agree with the key call in this deep dive, which is that JAK inhibitors have promise to be a big class of therapy and could have use beyond RA. Recall Gilead books revenues in the US and ~20% of sales are ex-US, so filgotinib is a key pipeline product not only for GLPG, but also for Gilead.”

According to TipRanks.com, Young is a 4-star analyst with an average return of 3.0% and a 42.8% success rate. Young covers the Healthcare sector, focusing on stocks such as Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Sarepta Therapeutics, and Puma Biotechnology.

Gilead Sciences has an analyst consensus of Strong Buy, with a price target consensus of $88.25, which is a 36.1% upside from current levels. In a report issued on December 10, Jefferies also maintained a Buy rating on the stock with a $95 price target.

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