F m Investments LLC Has $8.72 Million Holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $LGND

Key Points

• F m Investments LLC trimmed its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 10.4% in the fourth quarter, but still held 46,130 shares valued at about $8.72 million. Institutional investors remain heavily involved, owning 91.28% of the company.
• Analysts stayed broadly bullish: Royal Bank of Canada and HC Wainwright both raised price targets, with HC Wainwright setting a $289 target and maintaining a Buy rating. MarketBeat says the stock now has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average target of $257.71.
• Ligand reported mixed quarterly results, with EPS of $1.63 and revenue of $51.72 million both missing estimates, even as revenue grew 14.1% year over year. The company also highlighted 56% royalty revenue growth and reaffirmed its raised 2026 guidance, supported by the pending XOMA Royalty acquisition.

F m Investments LLC lessened its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND - Free Report) by 10.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 46,130 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 5,346 shares during the period. F m Investments LLC owned about 0.23% of Ligand Pharmaceuticals worth $8,722,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in LGND. 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 worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 85.8% in the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 210 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. First Horizon Corp bought a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 31.6% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 271 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.28% of the company's stock.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada raised its price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals to $262 from $252 and kept an outperform rating, implying further upside from current levels. Royal Bank Of Canada raises Ligand price target
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright reiterated a Buy rating and a $289 price target, while also forecasting strong earnings growth into 2026 and 2027, which may be reinforcing bullish sentiment in LGND shares.
• Positive Sentiment: Ligand reported first-quarter results showing 56% year-over-year royalty revenue growth and reaffirmed its previously raised 2026 guidance, helped by anticipated contribution from the pending XOMA Royalty acquisition. Ligand Reports First Quarter 2026 Financial Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Ligand’s Q1 earnings snapshot highlighted mixed results: EPS of $1.63 missed the $1.84 consensus and revenue of $51.72 million also fell short of estimates, though sales still grew 14.1% year over year. Ligand: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

NASDAQ LGND opened at $221.41 on Friday. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1 year low of $98.89 and a 1 year high of $247.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 21.28 and a quick ratio of 21.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.44 billion, a PE ratio of 30.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.20. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $212.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $200.56.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The biotechnology company reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.84 by ($0.21). Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 16.19% and a net margin of 55.95%.The firm had revenue of $51.72 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $59.10 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.33 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 5.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. HC Wainwright upped their price objective on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $243.00 to $289.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $244.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $252.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ligand Pharmaceuticals presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $257.71.

Insider Activity

In other Ligand Pharmaceuticals news, insider Andrew Reardon sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $231.31, for a total value of $1,156,550.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 41,382 shares in the company, valued at $9,572,070.42. This represents a 10.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Octavio Espinoza sold 3,057 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.00, for a total transaction of $687,825.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 21,010 shares in the company, valued at $4,727,250. This represents a 12.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 35,448 shares of company stock valued at $7,450,977. 7.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Ligand Pharmaceuticals

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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