Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) Director John Kozarich Sells 467 Shares

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) Director John Kozarich sold 467 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.91, for a total value of $91,489.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 43,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,460,765.17. This represents a 1.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LGND traded down $0.51 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $198.33. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 117,477 shares, compared to its average volume of 228,012. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $195.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $179.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 24.69 and a quick ratio of 24.30. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $93.58 and a fifty-two week high of $212.49. The company has a market capitalization of $3.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 95.81 and a beta of 1.14.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. The business had revenue of $86.89 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.71 million. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 19.34% and a return on equity of 5.71%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 123.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.84 EPS. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.400-7.650 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 1.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LGND has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $190.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Citigroup initiated coverage on Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $270.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $234.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.33.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth about $26,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 86.3% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 149 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 85.8% during the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 210 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, First Horizon Corp bought a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Institutional investors own 91.28% of the company’s stock.

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.