Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Hold

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. HC Wainwright raised their price objective on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $231.00 to $239.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $270.00 target price for the company. Benchmark upped their target price on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $175.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $234.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. 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.com, Ligand Pharmaceuticals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $245.17.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 2.1%

Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $201.90 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 22.23, a quick ratio of 21.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has a 1-year low of $93.58 and a 1-year high of $212.49. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $194.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $187.38. The company has a market capitalization of $4.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.63 and a beta of 1.17.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.56. The firm had revenue of $59.67 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $55.59 million. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 46.42% and a return on equity of 13.86%. Ligand Pharmaceuticals’s revenue for the quarter was up 39.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.27 earnings per share. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.000-9.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Ligand Pharmaceuticals will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Octavio Espinoza sold 13,423 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.83, for a total transaction of $2,762,856.09. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 21,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,458,689.46. The trade was a 38.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director John W. Kozarich sold 467 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.50, for a total transaction of $93,633.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 42,720 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,565,360. The trade was a 1.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 23,662 shares of company stock valued at $4,817,826 over the last ninety days. 7.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position 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 buying an additional 1,256 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the first quarter worth about $344,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 8.2% during 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 during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 9.8% during 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 valued at $5,817,000 after acquiring an additional 4,926 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC raised its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 176.2% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 36,922 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $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 Ligand Pharmaceuticals News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Robust quarterly results and guidance — LGND reported a big EPS beat and raised FY‑2026 guidance (8.00–9.00 EPS), driven by revenue and royalty growth that support the longer‑term earnings trajectory. This pharma stock shows strength, eyes entry as earnings surge 59%
• Positive Sentiment: QTORIN / royalty story gaining traction — Coverage highlights that LGND’s outlook is shifting toward recurring royalty growth from assets like QTORIN, which underpins the company’s valuation multiple if royalties scale as expected. How The Ligand Pharmaceuticals (LGND) Story Is Shifting Around QTORIN And Royalty Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst sentiment still generally positive — Several firms maintain Buy/outperform ratings and have raised price targets, leaving consensus at a “Moderate Buy,” which provides upside theory but also sets expectations that could drive short‑term volatility. LGND overview on MarketBeat
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling (CFO and directors) — Multiple SEC filings show sizable sales by CFO Octavio Espinoza (13,423 shares) and other insiders (Andrew Reardon, Stephen Sabba), which can trigger short‑term selling pressure and signal portfolio rebalancing. CFO Octavio Espinoza SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: Independent downgrade — Wall Street Zen cut LGND from Buy to Hold, a headline that can prompt short‑term selling from momentum or risk‑averse traders. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Lowered to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

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.