Octavio Espinoza Sells 3,057 Shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) Stock

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) CFO Octavio Espinoza sold 3,057 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 21,010 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,727,250. This represents a 12.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Octavio Espinoza also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, March 4th, Octavio Espinoza sold 13,423 shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.83, for a total value of $2,762,856.09.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 4.1%

Shares of NASDAQ LGND opened at $202.91 on Friday. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52-week low of $93.58 and a 52-week high of $227.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 21.98 and a current ratio of 22.23. The business has a fifty day moving average of $196.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $189.24. The stock has a market cap of $4.05 billion, a PE ratio of 34.80, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.17.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.56. The business had revenue of $59.67 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $55.59 million. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 46.42% and a return on equity of 13.86%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 39.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.27 EPS. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.000-9.000 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on LGND shares. Bank of America initiated coverage on Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $244.00 price objective on the stock. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. HC Wainwright boosted their target price on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $231.00 to $239.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $234.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ligand Pharmaceuticals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $245.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 86.3% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 149 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 85.8% in the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 210 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.28% of the company’s stock.

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.