Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) Issues FY 2025 Earnings Guidance

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) updated its FY 2025 earnings guidance on Friday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 7.400-7.650 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 4.370. The company issued revenue guidance of $225.0 million-$235.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $265.2 million.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on LGND. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $190.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $234.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. HC Wainwright upped their price objective on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $206.00 to $231.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $270.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped 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. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.33.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 0.7%

NASDAQ:LGND opened at $195.83 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $195.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $164.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 94.60 and a beta of 0.99. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has a 1-year low of $93.58 and a 1-year 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.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) last posted 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. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 5.71% and a net margin of 19.34%.The firm had revenue of $86.89 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.71 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.84 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 123.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.400-7.650 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ligand Pharmaceuticals will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Ligand Pharmaceuticals

In other Ligand Pharmaceuticals news, CFO Octavio Espinoza sold 1,804 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.31, for a total transaction of $339,711.24. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 26,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,931,085.66. The trade was a 6.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director John W. Kozarich sold 467 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.84, for a total value of $91,457.28. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 44,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,640,656.64. The trade was a 1.05% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,205 shares of company stock valued at $604,187. 7.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LGND. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 19,091 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $2,170,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter valued at $455,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 2.6% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 10,021 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,139,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 258.1% in the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 18,085 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $2,056,000 after purchasing an additional 13,035 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp increased its position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 749,754 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $85,232,000 after purchasing an additional 22,629 shares during the last quarter. 91.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.