Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts rate LGND a "Moderate Buy" — seven analysts give a buy, one a hold, and the average 1-year price target is about $256.29, with recent target increases from Citigroup ($282), Oppenheimer ($277) and RBC ($252) and BofA initiating coverage at $244.
• Strong quarterly results and bullish guidance — Ligand beat estimates with Q quarterly EPS of $2.02 (vs. $1.46 est.) and revenue of $59.67M (vs. $55.59M), revenue was up 39.5% year-over-year, and management set FY2026 guidance of $8.00–$9.00 EPS.
• Notable insider selling amid heavy institutional ownership — insiders sold 30,915 shares (about $6.39M) in the last 90 days, insiders own 7.0% of stock while institutions hold roughly 91.28%.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eight brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $256.2857.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on LGND. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $276.00 to $282.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $244.00 price target on the stock. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $235.00 to $252.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LGND opened at $229.45 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 21.98 and a current ratio of 22.23. The company has a market cap of $4.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.14. The firm's fifty day moving average is $209.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $199.38. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has a 52-week low of $98.89 and a 52-week high of $247.38.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.56. The company had revenue of $59.67 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.59 million. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 46.42% and a return on equity of 13.86%. Ligand Pharmaceuticals's revenue for the quarter was up 39.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.27 EPS. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.000-9.000 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Ligand Pharmaceuticals will post 5.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ligand Pharmaceuticals

In other news, CFO Octavio Espinoza sold 3,057 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.00, for a total value of $687,825.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 21,010 shares in the company, valued at $4,727,250. The trade was a 12.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Stephen L. Sabba sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.87, for a total transaction of $207,870.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 32,793 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,816,680.91. This trade represents a 2.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 30,915 shares of company stock valued at $6,385,917. Corporate insiders own 7.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Ligand Pharmaceuticals

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in LGND. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,014 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $357,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its holdings in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 2,872 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $543,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased 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 valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,688 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $527,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. 91.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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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