Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $LGND Stock Sold by Moody Aldrich Partners LLC

Moody Aldrich Partners LLC lowered its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) by 32.7% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 18,952 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 9,208 shares during the quarter. Ligand Pharmaceuticals accounts for approximately 1.1% of Moody Aldrich Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC’s holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals were worth $5,920,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter worth about $1,359,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 256.6% in the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 22,800 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $7,207,000 after acquiring an additional 16,406 shares during the period. Future Fund LLC boosted its position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 49.1% in the first quarter. Future Fund LLC now owns 13,840 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $2,763,000 after acquiring an additional 4,560 shares during the period. JW Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,264,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 31.4% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 157,865 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $31,518,000 after acquiring an additional 37,696 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.28% of the company’s stock.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LGND opened at $318.78 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $295.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $251.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 31.18 and a quick ratio of 30.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.09, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.14. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a one year low of $175.89 and a one year high of $326.63.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The biotechnology company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.40. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 67.88% and a return on equity of 20.06%. The company had revenue of $63.69 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $61.30 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.60 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 33.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.000-9.500 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 5.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on LGND. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $326.00 target price (up from $285.00) on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, August 3rd. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $358.00 price target on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $390.00 to $397.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $266.00 to $388.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Leerink Partners started coverage on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, August 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $330.00 price target on the stock. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating. According to MarketBeat, Ligand Pharmaceuticals currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $337.89.

Insider Transactions at Ligand Pharmaceuticals

In other Ligand Pharmaceuticals news, Director Jason Haas sold 7,138 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $292.81, for a total transaction of $2,090,077.78. Following the sale, the director owned 3,981 shares in the company, valued at $1,165,676.61. This trade represents a 64.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Octavio Espinoza sold 31,641 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $292.06, for a total value of $9,241,070.46. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 27,696 shares in the company, valued at $8,088,893.76. The trade was a 53.32% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 54,979 shares of company stock worth $16,068,898 in the last three months. Insiders own 5.60% of the company’s stock.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ: LGND) is a biopharmaceutical company that develops, acquires and licenses technologies intended to improve the development and commercialization of medicines. Rather than operating primarily as a traditional drug manufacturer, Ligand generally works with pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners, receiving licensing payments, royalties and other consideration tied to partnered products.

The company’s principal technology is Captisol, a modified cyclodextrin designed to improve the solubility, stability and delivery of certain active pharmaceutical ingredients.