What is Zacks Small Cap’s Forecast for LGND FY2025 Earnings?

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) – Analysts at Zacks Small Cap lifted their FY2025 EPS estimates for Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a note issued to investors on Monday, December 16th. Zacks Small Cap analyst J. Vandermosten now anticipates that the biotechnology company will earn $4.63 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $3.85. The consensus estimate for Ligand Pharmaceuticals’ current full-year earnings is $1.73 per share.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $135.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Benchmark upped their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $141.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $147.00.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of LGND stock opened at $114.41 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.16 billion, a PE ratio of 45.58 and a beta of 1.01. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $114.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $102.84. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has a 12 month low of $67.53 and a 12 month high of $129.90.

Institutional Trading of Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of LGND. Chicago Capital LLC increased its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 124.3% during the 2nd quarter. Chicago Capital LLC now owns 514,946 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $43,389,000 after purchasing an additional 285,350 shares during the period. F M Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter worth about $11,350,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 44.3% during the third quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 372,779 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $37,312,000 after buying an additional 114,436 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 503.5% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 94,659 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $9,793,000 after acquiring an additional 78,973 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 6.7% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 708,624 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $59,707,000 after acquiring an additional 44,543 shares during the last quarter. 91.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Ligand Pharmaceuticals news, COO Matthew E. Korenberg sold 9,772 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.22, for a total transaction of $989,121.84. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 50,777 shares in the company, valued at $5,139,647.94. This represents a 16.14 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Octavio Espinoza sold 1,275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.94, for a total transaction of $132,523.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 24,610 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,557,963.40. This trade represents a 4.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 21,728 shares of company stock valued at $2,271,575. 5.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development and licensing of biopharmaceutical assets worldwide. Its commercial programs include Kyprolis and Evomela, which are used to treat multiple myeloma; Rylaze, a recombinant erwinia asparaginase for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia or lymphoblastic lymphoma in adult and pediatric patients; Filspari, a dual endothelin and angiotensin II receptor antagonist in development for rare kidney diseases and non-immunosuppressive treatment indicated for immunoglobulin A nephropathy; Teriparatide injection product for osteoporosis; Vaxneuvance for the prevention of invasive disease caused by streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes; and Pneumosil, a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to help fight against pneumococcal pneumonia among children.