Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) Director Sells $207,870.00 in Stock

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) Director Stephen Sabba sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.87, for a total transaction of $207,870.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 32,793 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,816,680.91. This trade represents a 2.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LGND opened at $195.48 on Friday. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1 year low of $93.58 and a 1 year high of $227.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 22.23 and a quick ratio of 21.98. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $197.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $191.93.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.56. The firm had revenue of $59.67 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $55.59 million. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 13.86% and a net margin of 46.42%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 39.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.27 earnings per share. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.000-9.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 1.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ligand Pharmaceuticals

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LGND. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,014 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $357,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System boosted its stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 2,872 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $543,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 12.3% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 575 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $102,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 31.6% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 271 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 86.3% in the third quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 149 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on LGND shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $244.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $270.00 to $276.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ligand Pharmaceuticals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $245.86.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Ligand Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a biopharmaceutical company that acquires, develops and out-licenses proprietary technologies designed to help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies discover and develop novel medicines. Operating primarily through its research services and royalty-generating businesses, Ligand focuses on building a diversified portfolio of technology platforms and partnering with industry leaders to advance therapeutic candidates across multiple disease areas.

The company’s product offerings center around several core platforms.