Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 8.000-9.000 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 6.650. The company issued revenue guidance of $245.0 million-$285.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $264.1 million.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $184.03 on Thursday. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has a 1-year low of $93.58 and a 1-year high of $212.49. The company has a current ratio of 24.69, a quick ratio of 24.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.62 billion, a PE ratio of 88.90 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $192.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $156.88.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The biotechnology company reported $3.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $1.13. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 19.34% and a return on equity of 5.71%. The firm had revenue of $86.89 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $58.71 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.84 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 123.0% on a year-over-year basis. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.400-7.650 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Ligand Pharmaceuticals will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LGND has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday. HC Wainwright lifted their price objective on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $206.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $234.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Benchmark increased their price objective on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $175.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $228.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director John W. Kozarich sold 467 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the director directly owned 44,121 shares in the company, valued at $8,640,656.64. This trade represents a 1.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Jason Aryeh sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.81, for a total value of $1,708,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 69,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,835,254.09. The trade was a 12.61% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 11,401 shares of company stock valued at $1,972,576 over the last 90 days. 7.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cim Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter valued at approximately $254,000. Mariner LLC bought a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at $272,000. Fiduciary Trust Co purchased a new position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at $301,000. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC bought a new position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth $210,000. Finally, Northeast Financial Consultants Inc bought a new position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter worth $213,000. Institutional investors own 91.28% of the company’s stock.

About Ligand Pharmaceuticals

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.