# How Gilead Sciences (GILD) compares with the whole market and its popular alternatives

> Source: EasyCompare research, https://easycompare.io/research/gild
> Data as of October 20, 2026. Total returns include reinvested dividends. Past performance does not predict future results; nothing here is investment advice.

Built by QuantCommons' quantitative engine, this page is about relative opportunity, not data on GILD alone. It places GILD (Gilead Sciences, Inc.) against 20+ popular alternatives, its neighboring categories and the entire market of over 10,000 U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs, and surfaces what has done better on consistent outperformance, return for the risk taken, behavior in real market crashes and diversification. The result is a clearer view of where GILD stands in the market, and of the alternatives worth a closer look.

Period covered: GILD's full trading record, from January 1992 through September 2026. All returns include reinvested dividends. Data as of October 20, 2026.

## Key findings

- **Right now:** GILD has outpaced the market, rising 18.2% over the past 3 months against 3.9% for the S&P 500 and 3.2% for the Nasdaq 100. Its biotechnology peers were far apart over the past 3 months, from PFE (Pfizer, up 23.8%) to JNJ (Johnson & Johnson, up 4.8%).
- **Stock or market?:** GILD's 18.2% gain over the past 3 months far outran its industry: the biotechnology ETF XBI (State Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF) rose 1.5%. The S&P 500 rose 3.9%. Its biotechnology peers did not move as one over the past 3 months: PFE (Pfizer) rose 23.8%, while JNJ (Johnson & Johnson) rose 4.8%.
- **Past 1 to 3 years:** Over the past year, GILD rose 30.3% against 15.8% for the S&P 500 and 17.9% for the Nasdaq 100. The same gap shows up over 3 years (121% against 89.3%).
- **Long term:** GILD turned $10,000 into $30,000 over the past decade, against $42,100 in the S&P 500. That said, the past 5 years have been the better stretch: GILD rose 180% against 81.7% for the S&P 500, after trailing over the decade.
- **In a crash:** The Covid crash took 13.7% off GILD, against 33.7% for the S&P 500. That was more than REGN (Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, 12.7%) but less than LLY (Eli Lilly and Company, 16.9%).
- **Diversification:** Against the S&P 500, GILD has a correlation of 0.21 over 5 years, less closely than 85% of stocks worth at least $300 million. Next to an index fund it is a real diversifier. Over 10 years GILD kept more of the market's gains than of its losses: 52% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 36% of its losses in falling ones, with a beta of 0.35.
- **Better options**
  - **Popular alternatives:** ABBV (AbbVie) earned more than GILD with less volatility over the past 5 years: 26.1% a year at 23.4% volatility, against 22.8% a year at 24.9%.
  - **Whole market:** Few investments have done better on both counts: only three of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than GILD with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them ABBV (AbbVie), COR (Cencora) and DXJ (WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund).

## How much would $10,000 in GILD have grown?

This chart tracks a hypothetical $10,000 investment in GILD over the past 29 years, with dividends reinvested, alongside the same amount in the S&P 500, investments that ended ahead of GILD over the same span and GILD's popular alternatives, among those that traded for the entire period.

- $10,000 invested in GILD at the end of September 1997 would have grown to $1,571,438 by September 2026, more than the $132,907 it would have become in SPY, an S&P 500 fund.
- Five of the eight other investments on the chart ended ahead of GILD, and AAPL finished highest, at $20,534,853.

## GILD at a glance

This section summarizes the key facts about the stock, its returns over periods from one to ten years and the risk it has carried, with dividends reinvested throughout.

- GILD's deepest decline since it began trading in 1992 was 70.8%, from January 1992 to June 1994. It took 14 months from the low to climb back to its old high.
- GILD is trading within 1% of its all-time high.
- Over 29 full calendar years, GILD's best was 2013, when it returned 105%, and its worst was 2016, when it lost 27.6%. It lost money in six of those years.

- Type: Stock, Healthcare (Drug Manufacturers - General)
- Trading since: January 22, 1992
- Market value: $194B
- Volatility (5 years): 24.9%; Sharpe ratio: 0.95
- Worst decline ever: −70.8%, from January 27, 1992 to June 6, 1994; back at its high by August 11, 1995

| Period | GILD total return |
| --- | --- |
| 1 month | +4.0% |
| 3 months | +18.2% |
| 6 months | +16.6% |
| year to date | +31.0% |
| 1 year | +30.3% |
| 3 years | +121% |
| 5 years | +180% |
| 10 years | +200% |

## GILD against the whole market

Where GILD ranks among every stock and fund, and what across the market has done better.

### How does GILD rank among all stocks?

This section ranks GILD on return, volatility, risk-adjusted return and worst decline against every stock worth at least $300 million with enough history.

- GILD's worst decline of the past 10 years ranks in the top 1% of the 2,187 stocks worth at least $300 million, where the top fell the least.

| Measure | GILD | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1-year return | +30.3% | 968 of 3,287 (top 30%) |
| 3-year return | +121% | 765 of 3,017 (top 26%) |
| 5-year return | +180% | 366 of 2,893 (top 13%) |
| 10-year return | +200% | 863 of 2,202 (top 40%) |
| Volatility, 5 years | 24.9% | 316 of 2,893 (top 11%) |
| Sharpe ratio, 5 years | 0.95 | 128 of 2,893 (top 5%) |
| Worst decline, past 10 years | −30.5% | 26 of 2,187 (top 2%) |

### What has beaten GILD on both return and risk?

Each dot is an investment, placed by how much it earned a year over the past 5 years (higher is better) and how much its price swung, its volatility (further left is calmer).

- Two stocks and one ETF worth at least $500 million sit in the green region: each earned more than GILD over the past 5 years with smaller price swings. That is fewer than 1% of the 3,633 screened. Few investments beat it on both counts.
- Among those with at least half GILD's swings, DXJ has the best return for its risk: 26.6% a year at 19.1% volatility, 23% less than GILD's 24.9%, and a Sharpe ratio (return above cash per unit of volatility) of 1.34 against 0.95 for GILD.
- Among GILD's popular alternatives, ABBV is in the region. ABBV earned 26.1% a year against 22.8% a year for GILD, at 23.4% volatility, 6% less than GILD's 24.9%.

### Is there a better investment than GILD?

The table below lists investments that beat GILD over the past 5 years on at least one of these measures: a higher annual return with lower volatility, a higher annual return at similar volatility, a similar return with lower volatility, a higher Sharpe ratio with a smaller worst decline, a higher total return in most periods from 3 months to 10 years, or smaller losses in recent market crashes.

- Among GILD's popular alternatives, ABBV earned more than GILD with less volatility over the past 5 years: 26.1% a year at 23.4% volatility, against 22.8% a year at 24.9%.
- Few investments have done better on both counts: only three of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than GILD with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them ABBV, COR and DXJ.

The 3 strongest of 3 investments that beat GILD over the past 5 years, out of 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million.

| Investment | Group | Annual return (5 years) | Volatility | Sharpe | Worst decline (10 years) | 10Y return | Correlation with GILD | Better on |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| GILD: Gilead Sciences, Inc. (this page) |  | +22.8% | 24.9% | 0.95 | −30.5% | +200% |  |  |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | International Equity | +26.6% | 19.1% | 1.34 | −39.1% | +428% | 0.12 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| [COR](https://easycompare.io/research/cor): Cencora, Inc. | Health Care Distribution | +24.2% | 22.8% | 1.07 | −32.4% | +406% | 0.29 | Higher return, lower volatility |
| [ABBV](https://easycompare.io/research/abbv): AbbVie Inc. | Pharmaceuticals | +26.1% | 23.4% | 1.11 | −45.1% | +603% | 0.25 | Higher return, lower volatility |

## GILD against its popular alternatives

The investments people most often weigh against GILD, compared period by period and year by year.

### How do GILD's risk and return compare with its alternatives?

This map plots each investment's annual return over the past 5 years against its volatility, the size of its typical price swings.

- Only ABBV was both more rewarding and calmer than GILD over the past 5 years, earning a higher annual return with lower volatility.
- 16 of the 24 popular alternatives earned less than GILD over the past 5 years while swinging more, the weaker corner of the map.
- Over the past 5 years, GILD returned 22.8% a year, more than the S&P 500's 12.7%, with higher volatility (24.9% against 17.1%).

### Has GILD consistently beaten its popular alternatives?

This section compares GILD with the investments people most often weigh against it, checking each one over eight periods from one month to ten years.

- EXEL outperformed GILD in every long-term period and in all but one short-term period, the most consistent record in the group.
- Two of the 24 popular alternatives, EXEL and LLY, outperformed GILD in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes.

| Investment | 1Y return | 3Y return | 5Y return | 10Y return | Periods ahead of GILD | Verdict | Sharpe |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| GILD: Gilead Sciences, Inc. (this page) | +30.3% | +121% | +180% | +200% |  |  | 0.95 |
| EXEL: Exelixis, Inc. | +86.4% | +205% | +198% | +448% | 4/5 short-term, 3/3 long-term | all-weather | 0.79 |
| [LLY](https://easycompare.io/research/lly): Eli Lilly and Company | +59.7% | +124% | +451% | +1,807% | 3/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term | consistent | 1.21 |
| [ABBV](https://easycompare.io/research/abbv): AbbVie Inc. | +28.3% | +118% | +218% | +603% | 2/5 short-term, 2/3 long-term |  | 1.11 |
| CRL: Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. | +71.3% | +70.1% | −25.1% | +280% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.09 |
| [AMGN](https://easycompare.io/research/amgn): Amgen Inc. | +48.7% | +72.2% | +145% | +266% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.85 |
| [ILMN](https://easycompare.io/research/ilmn): Illumina, Inc. | +169% | +130% | −33.3% | +93.0% | 5/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.06 |
| [MRK](https://easycompare.io/research/mrk): Merck & Co., Inc. | +76.8% | +58.3% | +113% | +241% | 4/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.74 |
| [TMO](https://easycompare.io/research/tmo): Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | +26.8% | +49.5% | +15.1% | +366% | 2/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.24 |
| [IQV](https://easycompare.io/research/iqv): IQVIA Holdings Inc. | +26.3% | +45.3% | +6.5% | +260% | 2/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.21 |
| [VRTX](https://easycompare.io/research/vrtx): Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated | +22.8% | +42.2% | +177% | +521% | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.85 |
| [NVS](https://easycompare.io/research/nvs): Novartis AG | +18.8% | +75.9% | +121% | +226% | 1/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.87 |
| ALNY: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | −53.0% | +42.6% | +13.2% | +514% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.29 |
| [AZN](https://easycompare.io/research/azn): AstraZeneca PLC | +1.8% | +38.8% | +52.1% | +257% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.41 |
| [DHR](https://easycompare.io/research/dhr): Danaher Corporation | +8.3% | +10.8% | −17.6% | +232% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.01 |
| NBIX: Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. | +0.5% | +28.6% | +37.4% | +211% | 0/5 short-term, 1/3 long-term |  | 0.36 |
| BIIB: Biogen Inc. | +65.8% | −5.6% | −8.8% | −18.9% | 5/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.11 |
| [REGN](https://easycompare.io/research/regn): Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | +40.7% | +0.8% | +44.9% | +120% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.40 |
| [PFE](https://easycompare.io/research/pfe): Pfizer Inc. | +30.5% | +19.2% | −8.3% | +55.0% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.06 |
| INCY: Incyte Corporation | +35.3% | +112% | +77.6% | +31.8% | 2/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.53 |
| [JNJ](https://easycompare.io/research/jnj): Johnson & Johnson | +36.9% | +84.6% | +82.1% | +196% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.76 |
| [BMY](https://easycompare.io/research/bmy): Bristol-Myers Squibb Company | +47.8% | +25.8% | +30.6% | +74.8% | 1/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.34 |
| [GSK](https://easycompare.io/research/gsk): GSK plc | +18.9% | +60.0% | +57.2% | +95.1% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.49 |
| IONS: Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | −38.3% | −1.6% | +48.8% | +58.8% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | 0.40 |
| BMRN: BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. | +6.3% | −31.3% | −24.9% | −33.0% | 0/5 short-term, 0/3 long-term |  | -0.01 |

### How did GILD do year by year?

This table shows each investment's total return in every full calendar year since 1997, along with where GILD ranked among its popular alternatives each year.

- Ranked against its popular alternatives each year, GILD finished in the top quarter in nine of 29 years and in the bottom quarter in six. In 2025, it ranked 9 of 25.
- GILD finished ahead of the S&P 500 in 19 of its 29 full calendar years.
- Among its popular alternatives, IQV came out ahead of GILD most often, in nine of the 12 years both traded.

| Year | GILD | SPY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2025 | +36.6% | +17.7% |
| 2024 | +18.7% | +24.9% |
| 2023 | −2.0% | +26.2% |
| 2022 | +23.6% | −18.2% |
| 2021 | +29.9% | +28.7% |
| 2020 | −6.7% | +18.3% |
| 2019 | +7.9% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | −9.9% | −4.6% |
| 2017 | +3.0% | +21.7% |
| 2016 | −27.6% | +12.0% |

## Risk and diversification

How GILD has fallen, how it held up in crashes beside the S&P 500 and its popular alternatives, and what moves independently of it.

### What were GILD's worst declines?

A drawdown is the decline from a peak to the lowest point before a new high.

- In all four of GILD's worst declines, the S&P 500 held up better over the same dates.
- Not every decline was the market's doing: GILD fell 60.4% from September 1997 to August 1998, while the S&P 500 rose 3.5%.
- The longest climb back to a previous high took 14 months, after GILD fell 70.8% from January 1992 to June 1994.

| Decline | Peak | Low | Back at the high | SPY over the same dates | Market event |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| −70.8% | January 27, 1992 | June 6, 1994 | August 11, 1995 | — |  |
| −60.4% | September 25, 1997 | August 31, 1998 | March 4, 1999 | +3.5% |  |
| −59.8% | September 7, 1999 | December 20, 1999 | August 21, 2000 | +5.1% |  |
| −58.9% | January 25, 1996 | July 15, 1996 | September 17, 1997 | +2.6% |  |
| −53.6% | September 25, 2000 | January 9, 2001 | May 21, 2001 | −9.7% | dot-com bust |

### How did GILD do in stock market crashes?

This section measures how far GILD, the S&P 500 and each alternative fell from peak to trough during every major market crash since 2000.

- Among its popular alternatives, LLY held up best, falling less than GILD in six of the ten crashes they both traded through.
- GILD fell less than the S&P 500 in five of the ten crashes it has traded through. The clearest case was the 2008 financial crisis, when GILD fell 34.3% and the S&P 500 fell 55.2%.

| Crash | Dates | GILD fall | SPY fall |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dot-com bust | March 10, 2000 to October 9, 2002 | −53.6% | −47.5% |
| Global financial crisis | October 9, 2007 to March 9, 2009 | −34.3% | −55.2% |
| Flash crash | May 6, 2010 to May 7, 2010 | −2.1% | −1.5% |
| Euro debt crisis | July 22, 2011 to October 3, 2011 | −18.2% | −17.9% |
| China devaluation & oil rout | August 10, 2015 to February 11, 2016 | −28.7% | −12.8% |
| Volmageddon | February 2, 2018 to February 9, 2018 | −5.5% | −6.5% |
| Q4 2018 selloff | September 21, 2018 to December 24, 2018 | −22.7% | −19.3% |
| COVID crash | February 19, 2020 to March 23, 2020 | −13.7% | −33.7% |
| 2022 bear market | January 4, 2022 to October 12, 2022 | −20.0% | −24.5% |
| SVB / regional bank stress | March 8, 2023 to March 13, 2023 | −1.6% | −3.4% |

### How closely does GILD move with the S&P 500?

Upside capture measures how much of the S&P 500's gains an investment kept in the months the market rose, and downside capture how much of its losses it took in the months the market fell.

- Over the past 10 years, GILD captured 52% of the S&P 500's gains in rising months and 36% of its losses in falling months, with a beta of 0.35. That is a defensive profile: it gave up some of the market's upside in exchange for smaller losses.
- LLY took just 6% of the S&P 500's losses, against 36% for GILD, while still keeping 101% of its gains.
- Five of the 24 popular alternatives had a higher capture ratio (upside capture divided by downside capture) than GILD's 1.44, led by LLY, VRTX and EXEL.

Measured over the past 10 years of monthly returns against SPY.

| Investment | Upside capture | Downside capture | Beta |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| GILD: Gilead Sciences, Inc. (this page) | 52.0% | 36.0% | 0.35 |
| EXEL: Exelixis, Inc. | 74.0% | 43.0% | 0.73 |
| [LLY](https://easycompare.io/research/lly): Eli Lilly and Company | 101% | 6.0% | 0.37 |
| [ABBV](https://easycompare.io/research/abbv): AbbVie Inc. | 92.0% | 57.0% | 0.54 |
| CRL: Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. | 135% | 175% | 1.30 |
| [AMGN](https://easycompare.io/research/amgn): Amgen Inc. | 74.0% | 64.0% | 0.54 |
| [ILMN](https://easycompare.io/research/ilmn): Illumina, Inc. | 120% | 200% | 1.19 |
| [MRK](https://easycompare.io/research/mrk): Merck & Co., Inc. | 64.0% | 46.0% | 0.30 |
| [TMO](https://easycompare.io/research/tmo): Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. | 104% | 104% | 0.81 |
| [IQV](https://easycompare.io/research/iqv): IQVIA Holdings Inc. | 128% | 167% | 1.31 |
| [VRTX](https://easycompare.io/research/vrtx): Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated | 87.0% | 50.0% | 0.46 |
| [NVS](https://easycompare.io/research/nvs): Novartis AG | 69.0% | 64.0% | 0.49 |
| ALNY: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 92.0% | 93.0% | 0.73 |
| [AZN](https://easycompare.io/research/azn): AstraZeneca PLC | 60.0% | 39.0% | 0.39 |
| [DHR](https://easycompare.io/research/dhr): Danaher Corporation | 84.0% | 84.0% | 0.75 |
| NBIX: Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. | 69.0% | 66.0% | 0.56 |
| BIIB: Biogen Inc. | 35.0% | 91.0% | 0.28 |
| [REGN](https://easycompare.io/research/regn): Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 55.0% | 66.0% | 0.19 |
| [PFE](https://easycompare.io/research/pfe): Pfizer Inc. | 52.0% | 81.0% | 0.54 |
| INCY: Incyte Corporation | 52.0% | 87.0% | 0.77 |
| [JNJ](https://easycompare.io/research/jnj): Johnson & Johnson | 64.0% | 53.0% | 0.46 |
| [BMY](https://easycompare.io/research/bmy): Bristol-Myers Squibb Company | 55.0% | 75.0% | 0.41 |
| [GSK](https://easycompare.io/research/gsk): GSK plc | 51.0% | 61.0% | 0.52 |
| IONS: Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 71.0% | 125% | 0.74 |
| BMRN: BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. | 20.0% | 70.0% | 0.38 |

### What diversifies GILD?

Correlation measures how closely two investments move together, on a scale from 1 (in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to -1 (in opposite directions).

- Moving a fifth of the money in GILD into DXJ would have cut the portfolio's volatility by 18% over the past 5 years and raised its annual return (+20.6% for GILD alone, +22.4% for the mix).
- FIX made money in six of the six calendar years in which GILD lost money.
- Among large ETFs, LVHI, DXJ and EMLP have moved largely independently of GILD over the past 5 years, with correlations of 0.34 or lower, and each still earned a positive 5-year return.

| Investment | Correlation with GILD | 5Y return | Volatility | Sharpe | Rose in GILD's 6 down years |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| LVHI: Franklin International Low Volatility High Dividend Index ETF | 0.34 | +119% | 11.1% | 1.48 | 1 of 6 |
| DXJ: WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund | 0.12 | +225% | 19.1% | 1.34 | 4 of 6 |
| EMLP: First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund | 0.26 | +101% | 14.5% | 1.04 | 2 of 6 |
| [SMH](https://easycompare.io/research/smh): VanEck Semiconductor ETF | 0.02 | +323% | 36.9% | 0.97 | 5 of 6 |
| DBEF: Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF | 0.28 | +85.0% | 13.8% | 0.96 | 3 of 6 |
| [GLD](https://easycompare.io/research/gld): SPDR Gold Shares | 0.26 | +126% | 18.9% | 0.96 | 5 of 6 |
| SPMO: Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | 0.14 | +136% | 20.8% | 0.93 | 3 of 6 |
| [XLE](https://easycompare.io/research/xle): State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF | 0.33 | +177% | 25.5% | 0.93 | 3 of 6 |

## Common questions

### What was GILD's worst drawdown?

GILD's deepest decline since it began trading in 1992 was 70.8%, from January 1992 to June 1994. It took 14 months from the low to climb back to its old high.

### What were GILD's best and worst years?

Over 29 full calendar years, GILD's best year was 2013, when it returned 105%. Its worst was 2016, with a return of -27.6%.

### Is there a better investment than GILD?

Among GILD's popular alternatives, ABBV earned more than GILD with less volatility over the past 5 years: 26.1% a year at 23.4% volatility, against 22.8% a year at 24.9%. Few investments have done better on both counts: only three of the 3,633 stocks and funds worth at least $500 million earned more than GILD with less volatility over the past 5 years, among them ABBV, COR and DXJ.

### Is GILD more volatile than the S&P 500?

Yes. GILD's volatility over the past 5 years was 24.9%, 1.5 times the S&P 500's 17.1%. Volatility measures how widely returns swing around their average: in roughly two years out of three, GILD's return lands within 24.9% of its average, either way. The higher it is, the rougher the ride and the harder it is to hold through a slump.

### What is GILD's Sharpe ratio?

GILD's Sharpe ratio over the past 5 years was 0.95, against 0.79 for the S&P 500, so GILD earned more for each unit of risk than an index fund did. The Sharpe ratio is the return earned above cash for each unit of volatility: two investments with the same return are not equal if one got there with far bigger swings.

### How correlated is GILD with the S&P 500?

Over the past 5 years, GILD's monthly returns had a correlation of 0.21 with the S&P 500. Correlation runs from 1 (moving in lockstep) through 0 (unrelated) to −1 (moving in opposite directions). They are only loosely linked, which makes it a real diversifier next to an index fund. In the table, the correlation column measures each option against GILD instead: the lower it is, the more that option would diversify a GILD holding.

### What are the best alternatives to GILD?

Of the 24 popular alternatives we compared, two outperformed GILD in at least 3 of 5 short-term and 2 of 3 long-term timeframes, with dividends reinvested: EXEL and LLY.

### Did GILD outperform the S&P 500?

GILD finished ahead of the S&P 500 (SPY) in 19 of 29 full calendar years. In 2025, it returned +36.6%, against +17.7% for the index.

### How did GILD do in stock market crashes?

GILD fell less than the S&P 500 (SPY) in five of the ten major crashes it has traded through, and further in four. The clearest case was the 2008 financial crisis, when GILD fell 34.3% and the S&P 500 fell 55.2%.

### What diversifies GILD?

These had a low correlation with GILD over the past 5 years and still earned a positive 5-year return: among large ETFs, LVHI (correlation 0.34), DXJ (correlation 0.12) and EMLP (correlation 0.26); among large stocks, CAH (correlation 0.25), CLS (correlation -0.02) and FIX (correlation -0.02). A correlation near zero means the two have moved largely independently.

## More research

- [Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/lly)
- [AbbVie (ABBV) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/abbv)
- [Amgen (AMGN) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/amgn)
- [Illumina (ILMN) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/ilmn)
- [Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/mrk)
- [Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/tmo)
- [IQVIA (IQV) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/iqv)
- [Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/vrtx)
- [Novartis (NVS) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/nvs)
- [AstraZeneca (AZN) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/azn)
- [Danaher (DHR) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/dhr)
- [Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) Performance, Alternatives and Market Rank](https://easycompare.io/research/regn)

## Explore further

- Full page with charts: https://easycompare.io/research/gild
- All research pages: https://easycompare.io/llms.txt
- Compare the entire market against GILD live: https://betterthanspy.com/?b=GILD&utm_source=easycompare&utm_medium=research