Andrew Reardon Sells 5,000 Shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) Stock

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) insider Andrew Reardon sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.35, for a total transaction of $1,031,750.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 36,869 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,607,918.15. The trade was a 11.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of LGND stock opened at $201.90 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $4.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.63 and a beta of 1.17. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52 week low of $93.58 and a 52 week high of $212.49. The company has a quick ratio of 21.98, a current ratio of 22.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $194.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $187.38.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.56. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 46.42% and a return on equity of 13.86%. The business had revenue of $59.67 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.59 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.27 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 39.5% on a year-over-year basis. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.000-9.000 EPS. Analysts predict that Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 1.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, December 29th. HC Wainwright increased their target price on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $231.00 to $239.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $270.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $245.17.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 86.3% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 149 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 85.8% during the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 210 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth $43,000. 91.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Here are the key news stories impacting Ligand Pharmaceuticals this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Robust quarterly results and guidance — LGND reported a big EPS beat and raised FY‑2026 guidance (8.00–9.00 EPS), driven by revenue and royalty growth that support the longer‑term earnings trajectory. This pharma stock shows strength, eyes entry as earnings surge 59%
• Positive Sentiment: QTORIN / royalty story gaining traction — Coverage highlights that LGND’s outlook is shifting toward recurring royalty growth from assets like QTORIN, which underpins the company’s valuation multiple if royalties scale as expected. How The Ligand Pharmaceuticals (LGND) Story Is Shifting Around QTORIN And Royalty Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment still generally positive — Several firms maintain Buy/outperform ratings and have raised price targets, leaving consensus at a “Moderate Buy,” which provides upside theory but also sets expectations that could drive short‑term volatility. LGND overview on MarketBeat
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling (CFO and directors) — Multiple SEC filings show sizable sales by CFO Octavio Espinoza (13,423 shares) and other insiders (Andrew Reardon, Stephen Sabba), which can trigger short‑term selling pressure and signal portfolio rebalancing. CFO Octavio Espinoza SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Independent downgrade — Wall Street Zen cut LGND from Buy to Hold, a headline that can prompt short‑term selling from momentum or risk‑averse traders. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Lowered to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

About Ligand Pharmaceuticals

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.