Legal & General Group Plc Takes $19.56 Million Position in Exelixis, Inc. $EXEL

Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in shares of Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXEL) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 359,499 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,560,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its stake in Exelixis by 0.5% during the first quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 59,420 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $2,549,000 after buying an additional 281 shares during the period. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Exelixis by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 5,406 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $237,000 after acquiring an additional 298 shares during the period. Cim LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Exelixis by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Cim LLC now owns 35,397 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,462,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Exelixis by 6.5% in the 4th quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 5,354 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $235,000 after acquiring an additional 329 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Exelixis by 3.8% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,077 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $389,000 after purchasing an additional 333 shares during the period. 85.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on EXEL shares. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Exelixis from $51.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. UBS Group set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Exelixis in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Zacks Research lowered Exelixis from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Exelixis from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Exelixis from $47.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Exelixis has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.07.

Exelixis Trading Down 1.5%

NASDAQ EXEL opened at $54.45 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $13.49 billion, a PE ratio of 17.12, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.44. Exelixis, Inc. has a 12 month low of $33.76 and a 12 month high of $57.57. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $54.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $49.00.

Exelixis (NASDAQ:EXEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $628.69 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $636.40 million. Exelixis had a net margin of 35.33% and a return on equity of 42.17%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.75 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Exelixis, Inc. will post 3.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Exelixis

In related news, Director Mary C. Beckerle sold 9,812 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.66, for a total value of $526,511.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 16,079 shares in the company, valued at approximately $862,799.14. The trade was a 37.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Jack L. Wyszomierski sold 3,925 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.55, for a total value of $198,408.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 284,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,375,611.20. This trade represents a 1.36% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 23,549 shares of company stock valued at $1,216,894. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Exelixis

Here are the key news stories impacting Exelixis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong sales and earnings, along with reported institutional support, have helped Exelixis shares gain 43.5% over the past year. The company’s latest reported quarter also showed adjusted earnings of $0.91 per share, ahead of the $0.85 consensus estimate, while revenue increased 10.6% year over year. Strong Sales, Earnings Send Exelixis Shares Higher
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $3.18 from $3.12 and increased its Q1 2027 estimate to $0.80 from $0.79. It also lifted its Q3 2027 forecast slightly to $0.93 from $0.92, suggesting some confidence in near-term earnings execution.
• Neutral Sentiment: Exelixis remains near its 52-week high, with shares recently trading around $54.45 versus a high of $57.57. Its valuation is approximately 17 times earnings, while the company continues to show strong profitability, including a reported 35.3% net margin and 42.2% return on equity.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research maintains a “Strong Sell” rating and made several downward revisions: FY2027 EPS fell to $3.57 from $3.60, Q2 2027 EPS declined to $0.84 from $0.89, Q4 2026 EPS decreased to $0.81 from $0.83, and Q1 2028 EPS edged down to $0.96 from $0.97. These cuts could pressure the stock despite the modest upward revisions elsewhere.
• Negative Sentiment: Options activity was unusually bearish on August 27, with traders purchasing 10,010 put contracts—about 826% above the average daily put volume of 1,081. The surge indicates increased demand for downside protection or speculation on a decline.

Exelixis Profile

Exelixis, Inc is a biotechnology company specializing in the discovery, development and commercialization of small molecule therapies primarily for the treatment of cancer. Building on a platform that leverages model organism genetics and high-throughput screening, the company focuses its research on kinase inhibitors that modulate critical signaling pathways involved in tumor growth and metastasis. Exelixis’s translational research approach aims to advance novel compounds from early-stage discovery through clinical development and regulatory approval.

The company’s most recognized products include CABOMETYX® (cabozantinib), approved for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma, and COMETRIQ® (cabozantinib) for metastatic medullary thyroid cancer.