Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Oppenheimer Analyst Says

Posted by Andrew Walz on Feb 27th, 2026

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND – Get Free Report) had its target price increased by analysts at Oppenheimer from $275.00 to $277.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the biotechnology company’s stock. Oppenheimer’s price target suggests a potential upside of 41.02% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on LGND. Benchmark boosted their target price on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $175.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $234.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted 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. Citigroup started coverage on Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $270.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $245.17.

Read Our Latest Research Report on Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of LGND stock traded up $0.26 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $196.43. 51,925 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 209,304. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $193.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $185.01. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has a 12 month low of $93.58 and a 12 month high of $212.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 24.30 and a current ratio of 24.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.87 billion, a PE ratio of 94.80 and a beta of 1.14.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $2.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.56. The firm had revenue of $59.67 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.59 million. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 5.71% and a net margin of 19.34%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 39.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.27 earnings per share. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.000-9.000 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Ligand Pharmaceuticals will post 1.73 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director John W. Kozarich sold 467 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 43,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,460,765.17. This represents a 1.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Octavio Espinoza sold 1,804 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 26,186 shares in the company, valued at $4,931,085.66. This trade represents a 6.45% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 3,205 shares of company stock valued at $611,192 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 7.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 25.8% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 6,120 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $644,000 after acquiring an additional 1,256 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the first quarter valued at $344,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $1,121,000 after acquiring an additional 809 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 9.8% in 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 worth $5,817,000 after acquiring an additional 4,926 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 176.2% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 36,922 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $3,882,000 after acquiring an additional 23,553 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.28% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Ligand Pharmaceuticals

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

Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat — Non‑GAAP EPS of $2.02 topped estimates and revenue of $59.7M beat expectations; Q4 revenue rose ~39.5% year‑over‑year, signaling accelerating royalty and partner income. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc (LGND) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Surpassing Expectations and …
Positive Sentiment: Very strong FY‑2026 EPS guide — management reiterated adjusted EPS guidance of $8.00–$9.00 for FY‑2026 (well above Wall Street’s prior consensus), signaling materially higher earnings power ahead even though revenue guidance is a wider $245M–$285M. Ligand Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results
Positive Sentiment: Long‑term royalty growth outlook — company projects roughly 23% CAGR in royalty revenue through 2030 as its royalty portfolio accelerates, supporting multi‑year organic cash flow growth. Ligand outlines 23% CAGR royalty growth outlook through 2030 as royalty portfolio accelerates
Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary is constructive — at least one firm flagged upside to the shares after the print, which may support further positive revisions if royalty growth continues. Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) Stock Price Expected to Rise, HC Wainwright Analyst Says
Neutral Sentiment: Conference materials and transcripts available — the earnings press release, slide deck and full call transcript provide detail on assumptions behind the lofty EPS guide; review those to understand non‑GAAP adjustments, royalties mix and timing. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (LGND) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Negative Sentiment: Immediate market reaction mixed — some outlets reported a notable intraday decline (~6% noted by one piece) despite the beat/guidance, suggesting profit‑taking, skepticism about sustainability of guidance, or model‑timing concerns from investors. Why Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated’s (LGND) Stock Is Down 5.99%

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.