Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Purchases 245,909 Shares of Exelixis, Inc. $EXEL

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXEL) by 251.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 343,533 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 245,909 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Exelixis were worth $15,057,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in EXEL. Anchor Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Exelixis by 500.0% in the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 600 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Exelixis in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Activest Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of Exelixis in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Exelixis by 1,380.4% in the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 829 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 773 shares during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Exelixis in the fourth quarter worth approximately $44,000. Institutional investors own 85.27% of the company’s stock.

Exelixis Stock Performance

Shares of EXEL stock opened at $50.15 on Monday. Exelixis, Inc. has a 12 month low of $33.76 and a 12 month high of $51.63. The stock has a market cap of $12.61 billion, a PE ratio of 16.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.38. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $45.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $43.88.

Exelixis (NASDAQ:EXEL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The biotechnology company reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.12. Exelixis had a net margin of 35.08% and a return on equity of 39.89%. The firm had revenue of $610.81 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $607.51 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.55 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Exelixis, Inc. will post 3.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. HC Wainwright lifted their price target on shares of Exelixis from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Exelixis from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Exelixis from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Exelixis from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Exelixis in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Exelixis currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $47.35.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Patrick J. Haley sold 32,110 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.81, for a total transaction of $1,599,399.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 357,638 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,813,948.78. The trade was a 8.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director George Poste sold 60,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.71, for a total transaction of $2,742,600.00. Following the sale, the director owned 118,832 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,431,810.72. This trade represents a 33.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 209,900 shares of company stock worth $9,874,852. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Exelixis Company Profile

Exelixis, Inc is a biotechnology company specializing in the discovery, development and commercialization of small molecule therapies primarily for the treatment of cancer. Building on a platform that leverages model organism genetics and high-throughput screening, the company focuses its research on kinase inhibitors that modulate critical signaling pathways involved in tumor growth and metastasis. Exelixis’s translational research approach aims to advance novel compounds from early-stage discovery through clinical development and regulatory approval.

The company’s most recognized products include CABOMETYX® (cabozantinib), approved for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma, and COMETRIQ® (cabozantinib) for metastatic medullary thyroid cancer.