Assetmark Inc. Raises Holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $LGND

Key Points

• Assetmark Inc. dramatically boosted its stake in Ligand, increasing holdings by 4,933.3% to own 6,191 shares after buying 6,068 additional shares, valued at about $1,171,000 at quarter-end.
• Analysts are broadly positive—seven Buy ratings and one Hold—resulting in a consensus Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $247.29, with several firms recently raising targets.
• Ligand reported strong quarterly results with $2.02 EPS (beats by $0.56) and revenue of $59.67M (+39.5% YoY), and issued FY2026 guidance of 8.00–9.00 EPS.

Assetmark Inc. grew its position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND - Free Report) by 4,933.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,191 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after buying an additional 6,068 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc.'s holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals were worth $1,171,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LGND. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 86.3% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 149 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 85.8% in the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 210 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, First Horizon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.28% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. HC Wainwright raised their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $239.00 to $243.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $244.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup raised their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $276.00 to $282.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ligand Pharmaceuticals currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $247.29.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

LGND opened at $226.67 on Wednesday. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $203.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $197.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 22.23 and a quick ratio of 21.98. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1 year low of $98.89 and a 1 year high of $238.31. The firm has a market cap of $4.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.88, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.14.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.56. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 13.86% and a net margin of 46.42%.The business had revenue of $59.67 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $55.59 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.27 EPS. Ligand Pharmaceuticals's revenue for the quarter was up 39.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.000-9.000 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ligand Pharmaceuticals news, Director Stephen L. Sabba sold 2,034 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.50, for a total value of $409,851.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 33,793 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,809,289.50. This trade represents a 5.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Andrew Reardon sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.35, for a total value of $1,031,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 36,869 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,607,918.15. This trade represents a 11.94% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 30,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,385,917 in the last 90 days. 7.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals 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.

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