Which Is a Better Investment, Gilead Sciences, Inc. or Johnson & Johnson Stock?

By Jenna Brashear
September 10, 2026
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Sifting through countless of stocks in the Biotechnology industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Gilead Sciences, Inc. or Johnson & Johnson because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson

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, Descovy, Genvoya, Odefsey, Sunlenca, Symtuza, and YeztugoFor the treatment of HIV-1 infection in patients. It also provides Epclusa, Livdelzi, and Vemlidy to treat chronic hepatitis C virus, primary biliary cholangitis, and chronic hepatitis B virus; Tecartus, a T-cell therapy for the treatment of adult patients; Trodelvy, an injection for intravenous use; and Yescarta, a suspension for intravenous infusion, is a CAR T-cell therapy for the treatment of adult patients. Further, it provides AmBisome, for the treatment of serious invasive fungal infections; and Veklury for the treatment of COVID-19. Additionally, the company engages in the development of various immunotherapies for patients with cancer and other incurable diseases. The company has collaboration agreements with Shenzhen Pregene Biopharma Co., Ltd.; Abingworth; Arcus Biosciences, Inc.; Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.; Janssen Sciences Ireland Unlimited Company; Japan Tobacco, Inc.; Everest Medicines; Merck & Co, Inc.; Tentarix Biotherapeutics Inc.; and Assembly Biosciences, Inc. It also has research collaboration, option, and license agreement with Merus N.V. for the discovery of novel dual tumor-associated antigens (TAA) targeting trispecific antibodies. The company has a collaboration with Terray Therapeutics, Inc. to discover and develop small molecule therapies; and LEO Pharma to develop, manufacture, and commercialize the small molecule oral STAT6 program. The company was incorporated in 1987 and is headquartered in Foster City, California.

Johnson & Johnson, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the research and development, manufacture, and sale of a range of products in the healthcare field worldwide. It operates in two segments, Innovative Medicine and MedTech. The Innovative Medicine segment offers products for various therapeutic areas, such as oncology, immunology, neuroscience, pulmonary hypertension, infectious diseases, and cardiovascular and metabolism distributed through retailers, wholesalers, distributors, hospitals, and healthcare professionals for prescription use. The MedTech segment provides a portfolio of products used in the surgery, orthopedic, cardiovascular, and vision fields distributed through wholesalers, hospitals and retailers, and used in the professional fields by physicians, nurses, hospitals, eye care professionals and clinics. This segment also offers products and enabling technologies that support joint reconstruction, trauma, spine, sports related injuries, and others, as well as open, laparoscopic, and robotic surgical procedures; instrumentation, energy devices, stapling systems, wound closure, biosurgery products, and digital and robotic technologies; breast aesthetics and reconstruction; contact lenses under the ACUVUE brand; intraocular lenses for cataract surgery, and other products used in cataract and refractive procedures under the TECNIS brand. The company was founded in 1886 and is based in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Latest Biotechnology and Gilead Sciences, Inc., Johnson & Johnson Stock News

As of September 9, 2026, Gilead Sciences, Inc. had a $180.6 billion market capitalization, compared to the Biotechnology median of $279.4 million. Gilead Sciences, Inc.’s stock is up 18.7% in 2026, down 2.6% in the previous five trading days and up 25.69% in the past year.

Currently, Gilead Sciences, Inc. does not have a price-earnings ratio. Gilead Sciences, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $30.5 billion with a -10.6% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 10.2%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $-0.431 per share for the current fiscal year. Gilead Sciences, Inc. currently has a 2.3% dividend yield.

As of September 9, 2026, Johnson & Johnson had a $643.6 billion market cap, putting it in the 100th percentile of all stocks. Johnson & Johnson’s stock is up 29.1% in 2026, down 3% in the previous five trading days and up 49.94% in the past year.

Currently, Johnson & Johnson’s price-earnings ratio is 31.0. Johnson & Johnson’s trailing 12-month revenue is $97.9 billion with a 21.5% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 6.6%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $11.053 per share for the current fiscal year. Johnson & Johnson currently has a 2.0% dividend yield.

How We Compare Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson Growth Grades

Company Ticker Growth
Gilead Sciences, Inc. GILD C
Johnson & Johnson JNJ B

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a Growth Score of 56, which is Average. Johnson & Johnson has a Growth Score of 73, which is Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: Johnson & Johnson

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, Johnson & Johnson has a more attractive growth grade than Gilead Sciences, Inc.. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, Johnson & Johnson could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson’s Momentum Grades

Company Ticker Momentum
Gilead Sciences, Inc. GILD B
Johnson & Johnson JNJ B

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 73, which is Strong. Johnson & Johnson has a Momentum Score of 77, which is Strong.

The Momentum Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Momentum Grade breakdown above, both Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson have a grade of B. For those who focus solely on a company’s momentum, further research will need to be conducted into both companies to see if they fit your individual needs as an investor.

Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company Ticker Earnings Estimate
Gilead Sciences, Inc. GILD B
Johnson & Johnson JNJ D

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 73, which is Positive. Johnson & Johnson has a Earnings Estimate Score of 32, which is Negative.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: Gilead Sciences, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, Gilead Sciences, Inc. has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than Johnson & Johnson. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, Gilead Sciences, Inc. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

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Other Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson Grades

In addition to Growth, Momentum and Estimate Revisions, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Quality.

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Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the ranking of key metrics. Specifically, the quality grade is the percentile rank of the composite of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and F-Score.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Gilead Sciences, Inc. or Johnson & Johnson Stock?

Overall, Gilead Sciences, Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 56, Momentum Score of 73 and Estimate Revisions Score of 73.

Johnson & Johnson stock has a Growth Score of 73, Momentum Score of 77 and Estimate Revisions Score of 32.

Comparing Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Johnson & Johnson’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

Learn More About A+ Investor

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.



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