Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) Given New $262.00 Price Target at Royal Bank Of Canada

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) had its price objective increased by Royal Bank Of Canada from $252.00 to $262.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the biotechnology company’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 18.40% from the company’s current price.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $276.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Bank of America initiated coverage on Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $244.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, HC Wainwright lifted their price objective on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $243.00 to $289.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $257.71.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LGND traded up $10.95 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $221.28. The stock had a trading volume of 81,943 shares, compared to its average volume of 225,877. The company has a market capitalization of $4.43 billion, a PE ratio of 37.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.20. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $212.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $200.56. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has a 1 year low of $98.89 and a 1 year high of $247.38. The company has a quick ratio of 21.98, a current ratio of 22.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The biotechnology company reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.84 by ($0.21). Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 46.42% and a return on equity of 13.86%. The firm had revenue of $51.72 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $59.10 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.33 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ligand Pharmaceuticals will post 5.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ligand Pharmaceuticals news, Director John W. Kozarich sold 467 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $202.23, for a total transaction of $94,441.41. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 42,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,544,824.19. This trade represents a 1.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Stephen L. Sabba sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.87, for a total value of $207,870.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 32,793 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,816,680.91. This trade represents a 2.96% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 35,448 shares of company stock worth $7,450,977 in the last three months. 7.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 4.6% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,342 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $468,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank increased its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 0.8% during the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 38,900 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $7,766,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Future Fund LLC increased its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 49.1% during the first quarter. Future Fund LLC now owns 13,840 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $2,763,000 after acquiring an additional 4,560 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 6.1% during the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 6,570 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,312,000 after acquiring an additional 379 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 358.8% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 107,859 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $21,535,000 after acquiring an additional 84,349 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.28% of the company’s stock.

More Ligand Pharmaceuticals News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company-released results highlight a 56% year-over-year increase in royalty revenue and management reaffirmed its recently raised 2026 guidance while noting an expected partial-year contribution from the pending XOMA royalty acquisition — a driver of recurring revenue and guidance stability. Ligand Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright reiterated a Buy stance and published bullish multi-year EPS forecasts (FY2026 ~ $6.08–$6.12; FY2027 ~$8.52) with a $289 price target — analyst optimism can support further upside and investor confidence. HC Wainwright estimates / MarketBeat
• Positive Sentiment: Ligand made a strategic $15M investment in Orchestra BioMed under a previously announced arrangement — this supports partnership pipeline opportunities and potential royalty or milestone upside over time. Orchestra BioMed Receives $15 Million Investment from Ligand
• Neutral Sentiment: Company materials (press release, slide deck, conference call) are available for investors — useful for details on segment performance, guidance assumptions, and XOMA acquisition timing but not immediate price catalysts. Q1 2026 Press Release / Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 results missed consensus: EPS $1.63 vs. $1.84 expected and revenue $51.7M vs. $59.1M expected — the top-line and EPS miss is a near-term negative; however, margins remain strong and revenue grew year-over-year 14.1%, partially muting the impact. Ligand: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Company 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.