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

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) insider Andrew Reardon sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.24, for a total value of $1,006,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 41,382 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,327,713.68. The trade was a 10.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Andrew Reardon also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, March 4th, Andrew Reardon sold 5,000 shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.35, for a total value of $1,031,750.00.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:LGND opened at $199.59 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.98 billion, a PE ratio of 34.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.14. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1 year low of $93.58 and a 1 year high of $227.92. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average is $197.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $192.81.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) last posted 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. The business had revenue of $59.67 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.59 million. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 46.42% and a return on equity of 13.86%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 39.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.27 earnings per share. 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 year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on LGND. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $234.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. HC Wainwright increased their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $231.00 to $239.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $245.86.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 2.9% during the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,014 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $357,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System raised its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 2,872 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $543,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 12.3% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 575 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $102,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 31.6% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 271 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted 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 worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. 91.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.