Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) Stock Acquired Rep. Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr.

Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. (Democratic-California) recently bought shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND). In a filing disclosed on June 08th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock on May 29th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “150 MAIN STREET TRUST > BANK OF AMERICA” account.

Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. also recently made the following trade(s):

• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of SoftBank Group (OTCMKTS:SFTBF) on 6/2/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Ciena (NYSE:CIEN) on 5/29/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) on 5/29/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Independent Bank (NASDAQ:INDB) on 5/29/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Arcutis Biotherapeutics (NASDAQ:ARQT) on 5/29/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of HealthEquity (NASDAQ:HQY) on 5/29/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) on 5/29/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Perella Weinberg Partners (NASDAQ:PWP) on 5/29/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Cooper Companies (NASDAQ:COO) on 5/29/2026.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of Workday (NASDAQ:WDAY) on 5/29/2026.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock traded up $4.96 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $248.24. 240,014 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 220,929. The company has a 50 day moving average of $222.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $205.66. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $110.00 and a fifty-two week high of $257.19. The company has a current ratio of 21.28, a quick ratio of 20.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The stock has a market cap of $4.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.17.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The biotechnology company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.84 by ($0.21). Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 16.19% and a net margin of 55.95%.The business had revenue of $51.72 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $59.10 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.33 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 4.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $276.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, HC Wainwright increased their price objective on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $243.00 to $289.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $257.71.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ligand Pharmaceuticals

In other Ligand Pharmaceuticals news, Director John W. Kozarich sold 1,575 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $223.50, for a total value of $352,012.50. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 41,786 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,339,171. This represents a 3.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, insider Andrew Reardon sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.06, for a total transaction of $1,135,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 41,382 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,396,196.92. This represents a 10.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 18,968 shares of company stock valued at $4,163,441 in the last three months. 7.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL bought a new position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,789,955,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 1,009,891 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $201,623,000 after acquiring an additional 14,491 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 749,754 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $85,232,000 after acquiring an additional 22,629 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 36.5% in 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. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 115.9% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 496,160 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $93,809,000 after acquiring an additional 266,304 shares during the period. 91.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Representative Cisneros

Gil Cisneros (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing California’s 31st Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2025. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Cisneros (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent California’s 31st Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Gil Cisneros served in the U.S. Navy as a supply officer from 1994 to 2004. Cisneros earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from George Washington University in 1994, a master’s in business administration from Regis University in 2002, and a master’s degree in urban education policy from Brown University in 2015. His career experience includes working as a logistics manager for Frito-Lay. In 2010, Cisneros won the lottery and became involved in activism and philanthropy, founding a scholarship program for local high school students. In 2021, President Joe Biden (D) appointed Cisneros as under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness.

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.