Octavio Espinoza Sells 13,423 Shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) Stock

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) CFO Octavio Espinoza sold 13,423 shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.83, for a total transaction of $2,762,856.09. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 21,662 shares in the company, valued at $4,458,689.46. This represents a 38.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Octavio Espinoza also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, December 12th, Octavio Espinoza sold 1,804 shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.31, for a total value of $339,711.24.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 2.1%

Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $201.90 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 22.23 and a quick ratio of 21.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.63 and a beta of 1.17. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1-year low of $93.58 and a 1-year high of $212.49. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $194.23 and a 200-day moving average price of $187.38.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $234.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $270.00 price target on the stock. HC Wainwright raised their price target on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $231.00 to $239.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $245.17.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ligand Pharmaceuticals

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LGND. Alpine Global Management LLC acquired a new position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $284,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 36.5% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 516,464 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $97,648,000 after acquiring an additional 138,169 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 339.3% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 12,388 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $2,342,000 after acquiring an additional 9,568 shares during the last quarter. Summit Global Investments boosted its holdings in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 67.6% in the 4th quarter. Summit Global Investments now owns 2,417 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $457,000 after acquiring an additional 975 shares during the last quarter. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth $1,459,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.28% of the company’s stock.

More Ligand Pharmaceuticals News

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

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.