HC Wainwright Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) Stock

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) had its target price upped by analysts at HC Wainwright from $243.00 to $289.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the biotechnology company’s stock. HC Wainwright’s target price suggests a potential upside of 27.07% from the stock’s current price. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Ligand Pharmaceuticals’ Q3 2026 earnings at $1.67 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.75 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $6.08 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer increased their target price on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Bank of America began coverage on Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $244.00 target price for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Citigroup increased their target price on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $276.00 to $282.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $235.00 to $252.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Seven 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.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $256.29.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LGND opened at $227.44 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.56 billion, a PE ratio of 39.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.20. 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $209.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $199.38. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has a 12 month low of $98.89 and a 12 month high of $247.38.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.56. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 13.86% and a net margin of 46.42%.The business had revenue of $59.67 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.59 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.27 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 39.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.000-9.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Ligand Pharmaceuticals will post 5.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ligand Pharmaceuticals news, insider Andrew Reardon sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.24, for a total transaction of $1,006,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 41,382 shares in the company, valued at $8,327,713.68. This trade represents a 10.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Octavio Espinoza sold 3,057 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.00, for a total value of $687,825.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 21,010 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,727,250. This trade represents a 12.70% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 30,915 shares of company stock worth $6,385,917 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 7.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ligand Pharmaceuticals

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LGND. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL acquired a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,789,955,000. Acuitas Investments LLC grew its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 1,922.9% during the 3rd quarter. Acuitas Investments LLC now owns 402,494 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $71,298,000 after purchasing an additional 382,597 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 115.9% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 496,160 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $93,809,000 after purchasing an additional 266,304 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 676.6% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 254,805 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $45,136,000 after purchasing an additional 221,996 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 59.5% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 541,845 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $95,982,000 after purchasing an additional 202,103 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.28% of the company’s stock.

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.