Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) Director John Kozarich Sells 467 Shares

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGNDGet Free Report) Director John Kozarich sold 467 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $231.80, for a total transaction of $108,250.60. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 41,786 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,685,994.80. The trade was a 1.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 1.0%

Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $218.98 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 20.95, a current ratio of 21.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $214.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $201.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.71, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 1.20. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52-week low of $98.89 and a 52-week high of $247.38.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGNDGet Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The biotechnology company reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.84 by ($0.21). Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 55.95% and a return on equity of 16.19%. The firm had revenue of $51.72 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $59.10 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.33 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 5.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on LGND. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $252.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $244.00 price target on the stock. Finally, HC Wainwright boosted their price target on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $243.00 to $289.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ligand Pharmaceuticals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $257.71.

Get Our Latest Report on Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Institutional Trading of Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 2.7% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 108,926 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $19,295,000 after acquiring an additional 2,860 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 16.6% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 31,915 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $5,653,000 after acquiring an additional 4,538 shares in the last quarter. Lisanti Capital Growth LLC grew its position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 178.0% in the third quarter. Lisanti Capital Growth LLC now owns 29,677 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $5,257,000 after acquiring an additional 19,002 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 59.5% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 541,845 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $95,982,000 after acquiring an additional 202,103 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. grew its position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 11.7% in the third quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 59,131 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $10,474,000 after acquiring an additional 6,209 shares in the last quarter. 91.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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Insider Buying and Selling by Quarter for Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND)

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