UBS Group AG Purchases 31,081 Shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $LGND

Key Points

• UBS Group AG boosted its Ligand Pharmaceuticals stake by 27.8% in the fourth quarter, buying 31,081 additional shares and bringing its holding to 143,067 shares worth about $27.05 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high, with 91.28% of Ligand’s stock held by institutions, while insiders have also been active sellers in recent months.
• Analysts and recent company results were mixed but broadly supportive: several firms raised price targets or kept buy ratings, while Ligand’s latest quarter missed EPS and revenue estimates even as revenue still grew 14.1% year over year.

UBS Group AG increased its position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND - Free Report) by 27.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 143,067 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after purchasing an additional 31,081 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned about 0.73% of Ligand Pharmaceuticals worth $27,050,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. First Horizon Corp acquired a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at $47,000. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 31.6% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 271 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. 91.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ligand Pharmaceuticals news, CFO Octavio Espinoza sold 13,423 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.83, for a total value of $2,762,856.09. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 21,662 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,458,689.46. This represents a 38.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director John W. Kozarich sold 467 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $202.23, for a total value of $94,441.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 42,253 shares in the company, valued at $8,544,824.19. The trade was a 1.09% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 35,448 shares of company stock worth $7,450,977. Corporate insiders own 7.00% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Ligand Pharmaceuticals

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 Price Performance

Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $221.41 on Friday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $212.17 and its 200 day simple moving average is $200.56. The stock has a market cap of $4.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.20. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $98.89 and a 12-month high of $247.38. The company has a quick ratio of 21.98, a current ratio of 21.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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). The firm had revenue of $51.72 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $59.10 million. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 55.95% and a return on equity of 16.19%. Ligand Pharmaceuticals's revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.33 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 5.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on LGND shares. HC Wainwright boosted their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $243.00 to $289.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings raised Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $252.00 to $262.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $257.71.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Company 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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