Vanguard Group Inc. Has $367.79 Million Stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $LGND

Vanguard Group Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,076,283 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 13,088 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 10.59% of Ligand Pharmaceuticals worth $367,793,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LGND. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 85.8% during the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 210 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter valued at $47,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 31.6% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 271 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, Simplex Trading LLC bought a new position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at about $61,000. Institutional investors own 91.28% of the company’s stock.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of LGND stock opened at $196.17 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $3.86 billion, a PE ratio of 94.77 and a beta of 1.14. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $193.50 and a 200-day moving average of $185.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 24.69 and a quick ratio of 24.30. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a one year low of $93.58 and a one year high of $212.49.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.56. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 19.34% and a return on equity of 5.71%. The business had revenue of $59.67 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.59 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.27 EPS. Ligand Pharmaceuticals’s quarterly 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, sell-side analysts expect that Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup started coverage on Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $270.00 price objective for the company. Benchmark lifted their price target on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $175.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target 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. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective 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. Six equities research 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, Ligand Pharmaceuticals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $240.67.

More Ligand Pharmaceuticals News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat: Non-GAAP EPS $2.02 vs. $1.46 expected and revenue $59.7M vs. $55.6M expected; revenue grew ~39.5% YoY — signals stronger underlying royalty/licensing performance. Earnings beat article
• Positive Sentiment: Very bullish FY2026 adjusted EPS guidance of $8.00–$9.00 vs. consensus ~$4.85 — a material upside surprise that suggests substantial expected royalty/cash flow visibility or non-GAAP adjustments driving higher per‑share earnings. Press release
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term growth runway: Company projects ~23% CAGR in royalty revenue through 2030 as its royalty portfolio accelerates — supports higher recurring cash flow expectations. Royalty growth outlook article
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary: HC Wainwright and other commentators flagged the company’s outlook positively, which can support sentiment but is not a guarantee of sustained stock moves. Analyst note
• Neutral Sentiment: Calls/transcript and disclosure: Company provided slide deck, call transcript and additional detail on drivers (royalties, milestone timing, and adjustments) — useful for investors to parse GAAP vs. adjusted items. Earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed/uncertain reception: Some investors sold into the print — one write-up details a near‑6% intraday drop citing concerns about the sustainability of elevated EPS (non‑GAAP adjustments, one‑time items) and the revenue guidance range that centers around or slightly below Street revenue expectations. Why stock is down article
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue guidance nuance: FY2026 revenue range $245M–$285M vs. consensus ~$266M — midpoint is roughly in line but the wide band and lower bound give some investors pause about timing of royalties/milestones. Guidance details

Insider Buying and Selling at Ligand Pharmaceuticals

In other Ligand Pharmaceuticals news, Director John W. Kozarich sold 467 shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.91, for a total transaction of $91,489.97. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 43,187 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,460,765.17. The trade was a 1.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Octavio Espinoza sold 1,804 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.31, for a total value of $339,711.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 26,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,931,085.66. The trade was a 6.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 3,205 shares of company stock valued at $611,192 in the last three months. 7.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals 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.