PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab Takes Position in Exelixis, Inc. $EXEL

Key Points

• PFA Pension acquired a new stake of 43,658 Exelixis shares in Q4, worth approximately $1.92 million according to its recent 13F filing.
• Exelixis beat quarterly EPS estimates ($0.94 vs. $0.74) but missed revenue ($598.7M vs. $609.2M); the stock trades near $44 with a market cap of about $11.22 billion and a consensus analyst rating of "Hold" (avg. target $47).
• Insiders have sold substantial stock recently (362,849 shares worth about $15.9 million over 90 days), while institutions and hedge funds own roughly 85.27% of the company.

PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new stake in Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXEL - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 43,658 shares of the biotechnology company's stock, valued at approximately $1,923,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Exelixis by 500.0% in the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 600 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Exelixis in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Activest Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Exelixis in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Exelixis by 1,380.4% in the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 829 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 773 shares in the last quarter. 85.27% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Exelixis Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of EXEL stock opened at $44.17 on Tuesday. Exelixis, Inc. has a 12-month low of $33.76 and a 12-month high of $49.62. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $43.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $42.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.38.

Exelixis (NASDAQ:EXEL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The biotechnology company reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.20. Exelixis had a return on equity of 36.29% and a net margin of 33.73%.The business had revenue of $598.66 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $609.17 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.55 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Exelixis, Inc. will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on EXEL. Bank of America cut Exelixis from a "neutral" rating to an "underperform" rating and set a $41.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 5th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Exelixis from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wall Street Zen cut Exelixis from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 18th. HC Wainwright lifted their target price on Exelixis from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, UBS Group set a $41.00 target price on Exelixis in a report on Monday, January 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $47.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Exelixis

In other Exelixis news, EVP Dana Aftab sold 47,918 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.50, for a total transaction of $2,132,351.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 616,106 shares in the company, valued at $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 available at this link. Also, Director Jack L. Wyszomierski sold 99,574 shares of Exelixis stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.01, for a total transaction of $4,382,251.74. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 279,942 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,320,247.42. The trade was a 26.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 362,849 shares of company stock valued at $15,917,463. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.