Exelixis (NASDAQ:EXEL) EVP Dana Aftab Sells 29,873 Shares

Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXEL) EVP Dana Aftab sold 29,873 shares of Exelixis stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.35, for a total value of $1,324,867.55. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 664,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $29,449,464.40. This trade represents a 4.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Exelixis Price Performance

Shares of EXEL stock traded up $0.38 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $44.01. The stock had a trading volume of 2,362,298 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,637,148. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.43 billion, a PE ratio of 15.89, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.42. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $43.88 and its 200 day moving average is $41.25. Exelixis, Inc. has a twelve month low of $32.38 and a twelve month high of $49.62.

Exelixis (NASDAQ:EXEL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The biotechnology company reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $598.66 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $609.17 million. Exelixis had a net margin of 33.73% and a return on equity of 36.29%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.55 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Exelixis, Inc. will post 2.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on EXEL shares. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Exelixis from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Exelixis from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Exelixis from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. HC Wainwright boosted their target price on Exelixis from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Exelixis in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Exelixis currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $47.11.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Exelixis

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of EXEL. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey boosted its stake in shares of Exelixis by 0.3% in the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 102,581 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $4,521,000 after buying an additional 274 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Exelixis by 95.1% in the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 599 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares during the period. RHS Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Exelixis by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. RHS Financial LLC now owns 12,619 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $553,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares during the period. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Exelixis by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 5,406 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $237,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cim LLC grew its stake in shares of Exelixis by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Cim LLC now owns 35,397 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,462,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the period. 85.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Exelixis Company 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.