Zacks Small Cap Has Positive Outlook of LGND FY2026 Earnings

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) – Zacks Small Cap raised their FY2026 EPS estimates for Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a report issued on Monday, December 15th. Zacks Small Cap analyst J. Vandermosten now anticipates that the biotechnology company will post earnings per share of $6.62 for the year, up from their prior forecast of $6.01. The consensus estimate for Ligand Pharmaceuticals’ current full-year earnings is $1.73 per share. Zacks Small Cap also issued estimates for Ligand Pharmaceuticals’ FY2027 earnings at $7.81 EPS.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on LGND. Benchmark raised their target price on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $175.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $234.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, HC Wainwright raised their target price on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $206.00 to $231.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ligand Pharmaceuticals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.33.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:LGND opened at $192.63 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 93.06 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 24.30 and a current ratio of 24.69. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has a 1 year low of $93.58 and a 1 year high of $212.49. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $192.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $159.75.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The biotechnology company reported $3.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.96 by $1.13. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 19.34% and a return on equity of 5.71%. The company had revenue of $86.89 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $58.71 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.84 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 123.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.400-7.650 EPS.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ligand Pharmaceuticals

In related news, Director John W. Kozarich sold 467 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.84, for a total value of $91,457.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 44,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,640,656.64. This represents a 1.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Octavio Espinoza sold 1,804 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.31, for a total value of $339,711.24. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 26,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,931,085.66. This trade represents a 6.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 13,205 shares of company stock valued at $2,312,287 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 7.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ligand Pharmaceuticals

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in LGND. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL acquired a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at $2,789,955,000. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 22,629 shares in the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 3.0% during the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 667,311 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $118,207,000 after purchasing an additional 19,370 shares during the last quarter. Chicago Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 3.1% during the second quarter. Chicago Capital LLC now owns 571,825 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $65,005,000 after purchasing an additional 17,308 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 202,103 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.28% of the company’s stock.

About Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development and licensing of biopharmaceutical assets worldwide. Its commercial programs include Kyprolis and Evomela, which are used to treat multiple myeloma; Rylaze, a recombinant erwinia asparaginase for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia or lymphoblastic lymphoma in adult and pediatric patients; Filspari, a dual endothelin and angiotensin II receptor antagonist in development for rare kidney diseases and non-immunosuppressive treatment indicated for immunoglobulin A nephropathy; Teriparatide injection product for osteoporosis; Vaxneuvance for the prevention of invasive disease caused by streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes; and Pneumosil, a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to help fight against pneumococcal pneumonia among children.