Gilead Sciences Inc. Hepatitis C Guidance Is Key

Gilead Sciences Inc.

, expected to post results after the bell Tuesday, remains a darling on Wall Street after fears of a price war for its Sovaldi hepatitis C treatment receded last month. Investors will be looking for the company's estimate of sales related to hepatitis C in 2015, according to Evercore ISI's Mark Schoenebaum. The Wall Street consensus calls for Gilead's worldwide sales related to the disease of $15.1 billion according to Schoenebaum, who said the company's tendency in the past has been to "guide very conservatively." The Foster City, California drug-maker's shares are off nearly 5 percent since November, with much of the loss coming after AbbVie Inc.

agreed to become the exclusive provider of a competing hepatitis C treatment to pharmacy benefits giant PBM Express Scripts. AbbVie's launched its Viekira-Pak hepatitis treatment in December. But Gilead shares partly recovered in January, when Gilead won a similar contract to provide hepatitis C drugs through CVS Health Corp

and Aetna Inc.

. Treatment with Gilead's Sovaldi costs a reported $84,000 for a single, 12-week course. Wall Street expects earnings of $2.22 a share, on revenue of $6.72 billion. A year earlier, Gilead posted earnings of $0.46 cents a share on revenue of $3.12 billion. Gilead changed hands recently at $104.65, up $1.54. Of 28 analysts following Gilead, 24 rate the shares at Buy or Over Weight, according to FactSet.