Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 9,403 Shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $LGND

Russell Investments Group Ltd. cut its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) by 6.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 136,130 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 9,403 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals were worth $24,114,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 25.8% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 6,120 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $644,000 after purchasing an additional 1,256 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter valued at about $344,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 8.2% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 10,660 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,121,000 after purchasing an additional 809 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 9.8% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 55,327 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $5,817,000 after buying an additional 4,926 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 176.2% during the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 36,922 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $3,882,000 after buying an additional 23,553 shares during the last quarter. 91.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LGND has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $270.00 target price for the company. HC Wainwright raised their target price on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $231.00 to $239.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $244.00 price target on the stock. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $245.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Octavio Espinoza sold 13,423 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.83, for a total transaction of $2,762,856.09. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 21,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,458,689.46. This trade represents a 38.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Stephen L. Sabba sold 2,034 shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.50, for a total value of $409,851.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 33,793 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,809,289.50. This represents a 5.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 21,858 shares of company stock worth $4,478,114. Corporate insiders own 7.00% of the company’s stock.

Key Ligand Pharmaceuticals News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ligand Pharmaceuticals this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America initiated coverage on Ligand with a Buy rating and $244 price target, highlighting a diversified royalty portfolio, high margins and attractive upside from recurring royalty streams. B of A initiates coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage pickup across outlets (Seeking Alpha, Benzinga, Proactive) repeats the thesis that Ligand’s royalty model offers lower-risk exposure to biopharma growth and underpins the bullish analyst action. Seeking Alpha: BofA Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Aggregate analyst sentiment remains constructive — services report an average rating of “Moderate Buy,” reflecting general analyst support but not unanimous conviction. Analyst consensus
• Negative Sentiment: Market dynamics: a broad sell‑off hit top breakout names and pressured LGND, producing a sharp intraday pullback on elevated volume — suggesting short‑term momentum and sector rotation, rather than company fundamentals, drove the move. MSN: Broad sell-off rattles Ligand

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 4.4%

LGND stock opened at $211.48 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.27 and a beta of 1.17. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12 month low of $93.58 and a 12 month high of $227.92. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $196.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $188.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 22.23 and a quick ratio of 21.98.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.56. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 46.42% and a return on equity of 13.86%. The firm had revenue of $59.67 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $55.59 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.27 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue 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, equities research analysts forecast that Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current year.

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.