Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXEL) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give Exelixis a consensus rating of "Hold" from 23 brokerages (2 sell, 10 hold, 10 buy, 1 strong buy) with an average 12‑month target of $46.94.
• Exelixis beat quarterly EPS expectations ($0.94 vs. $0.74) while revenue was slightly below consensus ($598.66M vs. $609.17M); the company reported a 33.7% net margin and analysts forecast ~2.04 EPS for the year.
• Company insiders sold 362,849 shares (~$15.9M) in the last quarter—including large sales by EVP Dana Aftab and SVP Brenda Hefti—reducing insider ownership to 2.82%.

Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXEL - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Hold" by the twenty-three brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have issued a hold recommendation, ten have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $46.9444.

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Exelixis in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Truist Financial set a $51.00 price objective on Exelixis in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Exelixis from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Bank of America lowered Exelixis from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $41.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Finally, UBS Group set a $41.00 price target on Exelixis in a report on Monday, January 5th.

Exelixis Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of EXEL stock opened at $41.28 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $10.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.90, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.41. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $43.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $41.52. Exelixis has a twelve month low of $32.38 and a twelve month high of $49.62.

Exelixis (NASDAQ:EXEL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The biotechnology company reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $598.66 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $609.17 million. Exelixis had a net margin of 33.73% and a return on equity of 36.29%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.55 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Exelixis will post 2.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Exelixis

In related news, EVP Dana Aftab sold 47,918 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.50, for a total transaction of $2,132,351.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 616,106 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $27,416,717. This represents a 7.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Brenda Hefti sold 18,669 shares of Exelixis stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.01, for a total transaction of $821,622.69. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 96,512 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,247,493.12. This trade represents a 16.21% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 362,849 shares of company stock valued at $15,917,463 in the last quarter. Insiders own 2.82% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exelixis

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Exelixis in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Exelixis by 95.1% in the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 599 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 292 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Exelixis by 500.0% during the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 600 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Acumen Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Exelixis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Exelixis during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. 85.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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