Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Exelixis, Inc. $EXEL

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. reduced its position in shares of Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXEL) by 64.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 19,723 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 36,477 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Exelixis were worth $1,073,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Exelixis in the second quarter worth $1,581,991,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Exelixis by 48.8% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 13,658,388 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $598,647,000 after purchasing an additional 4,477,029 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Exelixis in the 4th quarter worth $106,460,000. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec purchased a new position in shares of Exelixis in the 2nd quarter worth $113,951,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Exelixis in the 2nd quarter worth about $107,803,000. 85.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Exelixis

In related news, Director Mary C. Beckerle sold 9,812 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.66, for a total transaction of $526,511.92. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 16,079 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $862,799.14. This trade represents a 37.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on EXEL. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Exelixis from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Barclays boosted their price objective on Exelixis from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. UBS Group set a $55.00 price objective on Exelixis in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Exelixis from $56.00 to $52.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Exelixis from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Exelixis currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.07.

Exelixis News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Exelixis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong sales and earnings, along with reported institutional support, have helped Exelixis shares gain 43.5% over the past year. The company’s latest reported quarter also showed adjusted earnings of $0.91 per share, ahead of the $0.85 consensus estimate, while revenue increased 10.6% year over year. Strong Sales, Earnings Send Exelixis Shares Higher
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $3.18 from $3.12 and increased its Q1 2027 estimate to $0.80 from $0.79. It also lifted its Q3 2027 forecast slightly to $0.93 from $0.92, suggesting some confidence in near-term earnings execution.
• Neutral Sentiment: Exelixis remains near its 52-week high, with shares recently trading around $54.45 versus a high of $57.57. Its valuation is approximately 17 times earnings, while the company continues to show strong profitability, including a reported 35.3% net margin and 42.2% return on equity.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research maintains a “Strong Sell” rating and made several downward revisions: FY2027 EPS fell to $3.57 from $3.60, Q2 2027 EPS declined to $0.84 from $0.89, Q4 2026 EPS decreased to $0.81 from $0.83, and Q1 2028 EPS edged down to $0.96 from $0.97. These cuts could pressure the stock despite the modest upward revisions elsewhere.
• Negative Sentiment: Options activity was unusually bearish on August 27, with traders purchasing 10,010 put contracts—about 826% above the average daily put volume of 1,081. The surge indicates increased demand for downside protection or speculation on a decline.

Exelixis Price Performance

Exelixis stock opened at $54.45 on Monday. Exelixis, Inc. has a 1-year low of $33.76 and a 1-year high of $57.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.44. The company’s 50-day moving average is $54.57 and its 200 day moving average is $49.04.

Exelixis (NASDAQ:EXEL) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.06. Exelixis had a return on equity of 42.17% and a net margin of 35.33%.The business had revenue of $628.69 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $636.40 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.75 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Exelixis, Inc. will post 3.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Exelixis

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.