Exelixis (NASDAQ:EXEL) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Exelixis (NASDAQ:EXEL) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report released on Wednesday morning,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Exelixis’ Q4 2025 earnings at $0.75 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $2.65 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.61 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.63 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.68 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.83 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $2.76 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.76 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.91 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.92 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.07 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $3.65 EPS.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Bank of America cut shares of Exelixis from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $41.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Exelixis from $41.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Exelixis from $36.00 to $30.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of Exelixis in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Exelixis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, December 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $46.16.

Exelixis Stock Performance

NASDAQ:EXEL opened at $43.90 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $11.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.52, a PEG ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.42. Exelixis has a fifty-two week low of $32.38 and a fifty-two week high of $49.62. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $43.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $41.00.

Exelixis (NASDAQ:EXEL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The biotechnology company reported $0.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.10. Exelixis had a return on equity of 31.06% and a net margin of 29.63%.The business had revenue of $597.76 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $590.04 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.47 earnings per share. Exelixis’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Exelixis will post 2.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Exelixis

In other Exelixis news, EVP Dana Aftab sold 48,383 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.50, for a total value of $2,056,277.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 664,778 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,253,065. This trade represents a 6.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Stelios Papadopoulos sold 100,000 shares of Exelixis stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.55, for a total value of $4,355,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,189,228 shares in the company, valued at $51,790,879.40. The trade was a 7.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 245,235 shares of company stock valued at $10,490,600 over the last quarter. 2.82% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EXEL. Farallon Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Exelixis by 21.6% during the 3rd quarter. Farallon Capital Management LLC now owns 19,501,500 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $805,412,000 after acquiring an additional 3,466,000 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Exelixis by 1,230.8% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 3,195,971 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $131,994,000 after purchasing an additional 2,955,813 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Exelixis during the second quarter worth $122,099,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its stake in shares of Exelixis by 120.5% in the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 3,047,222 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $134,306,000 after purchasing an additional 1,665,110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in Exelixis by 42.9% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,262,643 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $231,951,000 after purchasing an additional 1,580,567 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.27% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Exelixis

Here are the key news stories impacting Exelixis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded Exelixis from a “hold” to a “strong‑buy,” signaling increased analyst conviction that the company’s growth story is improving. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks issued broad upward revisions to Exelixis’ earnings outlook — raising FY2026 to $2.76 from $2.34 and FY2027 to $3.65 (previously $3.30), and lifting several quarterly estimates (e.g., Q1‑Q4 2026 and Q1‑Q4 2027). These higher forward EPS forecasts support a re‑rating and provide a clearer path to earnings growth. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks published a bullish write‑up, “3 Reasons Why Growth Investors Shouldn’t Overlook Exelixis,” highlighting growth attributes that could help EXEL outperform — a narrative that can attract growth‑oriented buyers. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright reaffirmed its “Buy” rating on EXEL, providing additional sell‑side support that may encourage institutional interest. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Note that Zacks’ upgraded forecasts exceed the current broader consensus (the entries cite a consensus near $2.04 for the current year). The market may await confirmation from Exelixis’ upcoming results/sales trends before other analysts materially follow, which could create short‑term volatility. Read More.

About Exelixis

Exelixis, Inc is a biotechnology company specializing in the discovery, development and commercialization of small molecule therapies primarily for the treatment of cancer. Building on a platform that leverages model organism genetics and high-throughput screening, the company focuses its research on kinase inhibitors that modulate critical signaling pathways involved in tumor growth and metastasis. Exelixis’s translational research approach aims to advance novel compounds from early-stage discovery through clinical development and regulatory approval.

The company’s most recognized products include CABOMETYX® (cabozantinib), approved for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma, and COMETRIQ® (cabozantinib) for metastatic medullary thyroid cancer.