Takeda Pharmaceutical (NYSE:TAK) Reaches New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Takeda shares reached a new 52-week high of $20.13 and recently traded near $20.08, above their 50-day and 200-day moving averages.
• Analysts’ consensus rating is “Moderate Buy”, though ratings are mixed: two analysts recommend buying and two advise holding.
• Takeda exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.95 EPS versus the $0.41 estimate and $7.50 billion in revenue versus $7.13 billion expected. However, insiders sold approximately $11.0 million of stock over the past 90 days, primarily to cover tax obligations on vested equity awards.

Shares of Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. (NYSE:TAK - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as high as $20.13 and last traded at $20.0750, with a volume of 2,907,336 shares. The stock had previously closed at $19.61.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on TAK. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Takeda Pharmaceutical from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Weiss Ratings raised Takeda Pharmaceutical from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Takeda Pharmaceutical from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy".

Takeda Pharmaceutical Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $64.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.67 and a beta of -0.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The company has a fifty day moving average of $18.46 and a 200 day moving average of $17.29.

Takeda Pharmaceutical (NYSE:TAK - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.54. The firm had revenue of $7.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.13 billion. Takeda Pharmaceutical had a return on equity of 10.95% and a net margin of 3.80%. Takeda Pharmaceutical has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.009-3.009 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. will post 1.56 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Takeda Pharmaceutical

In other Takeda Pharmaceutical news, CEO Julie Kim sold 89,090 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.10, for a total value of $1,523,439.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 391,489 shares in the company, valued at $6,694,461.90. This represents a 18.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Giles Platford sold 31,083 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.10, for a total transaction of $531,519.30. Following the transaction, the insider owned 315,838 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,400,829.80. The trade was a 8.96% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 627,457 shares of company stock valued at $10,981,175 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Takeda Pharmaceutical

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of TAK. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Takeda Pharmaceutical by 28.8% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,306 shares of the company's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 515 shares during the period. SHP Wealth Management bought a new position in Takeda Pharmaceutical in the 4th quarter worth $42,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Takeda Pharmaceutical during the third quarter valued at about $59,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in Takeda Pharmaceutical by 30.6% in the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 5,184 shares of the company's stock worth $81,000 after buying an additional 1,215 shares during the period. Finally, Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Takeda Pharmaceutical in the 1st quarter worth approximately $186,000. 9.17% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Takeda Pharmaceutical

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines for patients worldwide, with a focus on areas of significant unmet medical need. Its principal therapeutic areas include gastroenterology, rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies, oncology, neuroscience and vaccines.

Takeda's portfolio includes treatments such as Entyvio for inflammatory bowel disease, Takhzyro for hereditary angioedema, and medicines for certain blood cancers and rare conditions.

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