Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) Issues FY 2025 Earnings Guidance

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) updated its FY 2025 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 7.400-7.650 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 4.250. The company issued revenue guidance of $225.0 million-$235.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $212.8 million.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. HC Wainwright raised their price objective on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $206.00 to $231.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $190.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $155.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Benchmark raised their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $175.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $198.17.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of LGND opened at $202.48 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.97 billion, a P/E ratio of -50.62 and a beta of 0.91. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has a one year low of $93.58 and a one year high of $211.91. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $177.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $141.64.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The biotechnology company reported $3.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $1.13. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 9.21% and a negative net margin of 40.44%.The company had revenue of $86.89 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $58.71 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.84 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 123.0% on a year-over-year basis. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.400-7.650 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ligand Pharmaceuticals will post 1.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Ligand Pharmaceuticals news, Director Jason Aryeh sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.81, for a total value of $1,708,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 69,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,835,254.09. The trade was a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director John W. Kozarich sold 467 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $191.05, for a total transaction of $89,220.35. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 44,588 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,518,537.40. This represents a 1.04% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 11,401 shares of company stock valued at $1,956,894 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 7.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ligand Pharmaceuticals

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 1,656.8% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,669 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $190,000 after buying an additional 1,574 shares in the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter valued at about $205,000. Northeast Financial Consultants Inc acquired a new position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $213,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 48.0% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,096 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $238,000 after purchasing an additional 680 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter worth approximately $344,000. 91.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development and licensing of biopharmaceutical assets worldwide. Its commercial programs include Kyprolis and Evomela, which are used to treat multiple myeloma; Rylaze, a recombinant erwinia asparaginase for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia or lymphoblastic lymphoma in adult and pediatric patients; Filspari, a dual endothelin and angiotensin II receptor antagonist in development for rare kidney diseases and non-immunosuppressive treatment indicated for immunoglobulin A nephropathy; Teriparatide injection product for osteoporosis; Vaxneuvance for the prevention of invasive disease caused by streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes; and Pneumosil, a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to help fight against pneumococcal pneumonia among children.