Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Ligand issued FY 2026 guidance of $9.00–$9.50 in earnings per share and $270 million–$310 million in revenue. The EPS outlook is above the $8.13 analyst consensus, while the revenue range brackets the $287.5 million consensus estimate.
• The company’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $2.37 versus $1.95 expected and revenue of $63.69 million versus $60.87 million. Revenue increased 33.8% year over year.
• LGND shares rose 4.0% to $314.58, near their 12-month high of $326.63. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $326, although insiders sold approximately $9.2 million of stock during the last quarter.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND - Get Free Report) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 9.000-9.500 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 8.130. The company issued revenue guidance of $270.0 million-$310.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $287.5 million.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on LGND. Weiss Ratings downgraded Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Citigroup started coverage on Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. They issued a "buy" rating and a $387.00 target price for the company. HC Wainwright boosted their price objective on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $243.00 to $289.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Oppenheimer restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $326.00 target price (up from $285.00) on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $262.00 to $340.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ligand Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $326.00.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 4.0%

Shares of LGND stock traded up $12.01 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $314.58. 94,430 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 278,108. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has a 12 month low of $137.14 and a 12 month high of $326.63. The company has a market cap of $6.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 20.95, a current ratio of 21.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The company's 50-day moving average price is $283.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $234.14.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The biotechnology company reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.95 by $0.42. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 55.95% and a return on equity of 16.19%. The business had revenue of $63.69 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.87 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.60 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 33.8% on a year-over-year basis. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.000-9.500 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Ligand Pharmaceuticals will post 4.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Ligand Pharmaceuticals

In related news, Director Jason Haas sold 6,461 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $255.58, for a total value of $1,651,302.38. Following the sale, the director owned 4,981 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,273,043.98. The trade was a 56.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director John L. Lamattina sold 4,591 shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.88, for a total transaction of $1,151,790.08. Following the sale, the director owned 26,969 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,765,982.72. The trade was a 14.55% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 35,231 shares of company stock valued at $9,199,401. 5.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 86.3% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 149 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at $52,000. Persistent Asset Partners Ltd bought a new position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth $150,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $169,000. 91.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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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