UBS Group AG Has $163.15 Million Stock Position in Exelixis, Inc. $EXEL

Key Points

• UBS Group AG raised its stake in Exelixis by 40.2% in Q4 and now holds 3,722,334 shares—about 1.39% of the company—valued at approximately $163.15 million.
• Company insiders have been net sellers recently: directors sold large blocks (e.g., 99,574 and 30,250 shares) and insiders disposed of 362,849 shares worth about $15.92 million over the past 90 days, leaving insiders with 2.82% ownership.
• Exelixis beat EPS expectations with $0.94 versus $0.74 consensus but reported revenue of $598.66M slightly below estimates; analysts carry a consensus rating of "Hold" with an average price target of $47.00.

UBS Group AG lifted its position in shares of Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXEL - Free Report) by 40.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,722,334 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after buying an additional 1,067,265 shares during the quarter. UBS Group AG owned about 1.39% of Exelixis worth $163,150,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of EXEL. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Exelixis by 95.1% during the third quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 599 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Exelixis by 500.0% during the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 600 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Exelixis during the third quarter worth $28,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Exelixis by 1,380.4% during the third quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 829 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 773 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Exelixis during the fourth quarter worth $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.27% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Exelixis

In other Exelixis news, Director Jack L. Wyszomierski sold 99,574 shares of Exelixis stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.01, for a total value of $4,382,251.74. Following the transaction, the director owned 279,942 shares in the company, valued at $12,320,247.42. The trade was a 26.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Bob Oliver sold 30,250 shares of Exelixis stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.81, for a total value of $1,325,252.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 21,120 shares in the company, valued at approximately $925,267.20. This represents a 58.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 362,849 shares of company stock valued at $15,917,463. Company insiders own 2.82% of the company's stock.

Exelixis Stock Down 0.5%

EXEL stock opened at $44.69 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $11.35 billion, a PE ratio of 16.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 0.42. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $43.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $42.76. Exelixis, Inc. has a 52 week low of $33.76 and a 52 week high of $49.62.

Exelixis (NASDAQ:EXEL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The biotechnology company reported $0.94 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $609.17 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.55 earnings per share. Exelixis's revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Exelixis, Inc. will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EXEL has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Exelixis from $48.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Exelixis from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Zacks Research downgraded Exelixis from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Exelixis in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on Exelixis from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $47.00.

Exelixis 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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