Janus Henderson Group PLC Has $108.76 Million Holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND)

Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND - Free Report) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,015,023 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,929 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned 5.37% of Ligand Pharmaceuticals worth $108,757,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 20.0% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 43,456 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $4,349,000 after purchasing an additional 7,247 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 503.5% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 94,659 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $9,793,000 after purchasing an additional 78,973 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 93,208 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $9,329,000 after purchasing an additional 4,439 shares during the period. Burney Co. boosted its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 21.6% during the 4th quarter. Burney Co. now owns 13,520 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $1,449,000 after purchasing an additional 2,399 shares during the period. Finally, Woodstock Corp boosted its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Woodstock Corp now owns 29,411 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $3,151,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. 91.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ligand Pharmaceuticals news, CFO Octavio Espinoza bought 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $104.06 per share, for a total transaction of $156,090.00. Following the acquisition, the chief financial officer now directly owns 27,932 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,906,603.92. This trade represents a 5.67% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Todd C. Davis bought 9,510 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 9th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $105.20 per share, for a total transaction of $1,000,452.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 161,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,961,816.80. This represents a 6.27% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 5.90% of the company's stock.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LGND traded up $1.07 during trading on Friday, reaching $104.54. The company had a trading volume of 79,579 shares, compared to its average volume of 117,205. The firm's fifty day moving average is $105.87 and its 200 day moving average is $112.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.02 billion, a PE ratio of 41.65 and a beta of 0.87. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a twelve month low of $77.43 and a twelve month high of $129.90.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The biotechnology company reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.23 by $0.10. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 29.68% and a return on equity of 4.95%. The business had revenue of $45.33 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.84 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.84 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on LGND. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. They set a "buy" rating and a $143.00 target price for the company. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $142.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $146.14.

About Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development and licensing of biopharmaceutical assets worldwide. Its commercial programs include Kyprolis and Evomela, which are used to treat multiple myeloma; Rylaze, a recombinant erwinia asparaginase for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia or lymphoblastic lymphoma in adult and pediatric patients; Filspari, a dual endothelin and angiotensin II receptor antagonist in development for rare kidney diseases and non-immunosuppressive treatment indicated for immunoglobulin A nephropathy; Teriparatide injection product for osteoporosis; Vaxneuvance for the prevention of invasive disease caused by streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes; and Pneumosil, a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to help fight against pneumococcal pneumonia among children.