Key Points
- Director sale: John Kozarich sold 467 shares at an average price of $195.84 for $91,457, trimming his position by 1.05% to 44,121 shares (worth ~ $8.64M).
- Strong quarter and guidance: Ligand reported $3.09 EPS vs. $1.96 expected and revenue of $86.89M (up 123% YoY), and set FY2025 guidance of $7.40–$7.65 EPS.
- Analyst sentiment and valuation: Multiple firms raised price targets (average target $206.33) and issued buy/outperform ratings as the stock trades near $193 with a $3.8B market cap and a P/E of 93.25.
Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND - Get Free Report) Director John Kozarich sold 467 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.84, for a total transaction of $91,457.28. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 44,121 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,640,656.64. The trade was a 1.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.
Ligand Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 1.1%
Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $193.03 on Thursday. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12 month low of $93.58 and a 12 month high of $212.49. The company has a quick ratio of 24.30, a current ratio of 24.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market cap of $3.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 93.25 and a beta of 0.99. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $190.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $153.99.
Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The biotechnology company reported $3.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $1.13. The business had revenue of $86.89 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.71 million. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 5.71% and a net margin of 19.34%.Ligand Pharmaceuticals's quarterly revenue was up 123.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.84 earnings per share. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.400-7.650 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 1.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Benchmark lifted their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $175.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $185.00 to $234.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $190.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $206.33.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on LGND
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ligand Pharmaceuticals
A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LGND. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 2,516 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $265,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 435.5% during the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 4,059 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $427,000 after acquiring an additional 3,301 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank lifted its position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 36,600 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $3,848,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 6.5% during the first quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 36,774 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $3,866,000 after acquiring an additional 2,235 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 4.4% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 202,828 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $21,325,000 after purchasing an additional 8,473 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.28% of the company's stock.
About Ligand Pharmaceuticals
(
Get Free Report)
Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development and licensing of biopharmaceutical assets worldwide. Its commercial programs include Kyprolis and Evomela, which are used to treat multiple myeloma; Rylaze, a recombinant erwinia asparaginase for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia or lymphoblastic lymphoma in adult and pediatric patients; Filspari, a dual endothelin and angiotensin II receptor antagonist in development for rare kidney diseases and non-immunosuppressive treatment indicated for immunoglobulin A nephropathy; Teriparatide injection product for osteoporosis; Vaxneuvance for the prevention of invasive disease caused by streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes; and Pneumosil, a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to help fight against pneumococcal pneumonia among children.
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