Takeda Pharmaceutical (NYSE:TAK) Reaches New 52-Week High - Should You Buy?

Key Points

• Takeda Pharmaceutical reached a new 52-week high, trading as high as $18.94, above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages. The company has a market capitalization of approximately $59.87 billion.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: recent upgrades lifted the stock to a MarketBeat consensus rating of “Buy”, including one Strong Buy, two Buy ratings and one Hold rating.
• Takeda exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $0.95 in earnings per share versus a $0.41 estimate and $7.50 billion in revenue versus $7.13 billion expected. However, insiders sold roughly $10.3 million of shares over the past 90 days, primarily to cover tax obligations on vested equity awards.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. (NYSE:TAK - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $18.94 and last traded at $18.6890, with a volume of 523 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $18.60.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on TAK shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Takeda Pharmaceutical from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Takeda Pharmaceutical from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Takeda Pharmaceutical from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Takeda Pharmaceutical presently has an average rating of "Buy".

Takeda Pharmaceutical Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $17.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $17.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.01 and a beta of -0.07.

Takeda Pharmaceutical (NYSE:TAK - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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. Takeda Pharmaceutical had a return on equity of 10.95% and a net margin of 3.80%.The firm had revenue of $7.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.13 billion. Takeda Pharmaceutical has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.009-3.009 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. will post 1.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Andrew Plump sold 165,393 shares of Takeda Pharmaceutical stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.10, for a total value of $2,828,220.30. Following the transaction, the insider owned 766,569 shares in the company, valued at $13,108,329.90. This trade represents a 17.75% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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 firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.10, for a total value of $531,519.30. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 315,838 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,400,829.80. This represents a 8.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 sold a total of 592,922 shares of company stock worth $10,340,896 in the last ninety days. 0.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. SHP Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Takeda Pharmaceutical during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $42,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its position in Takeda Pharmaceutical by 91.4% in the fourth quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 4,649 shares of the company's stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 2,220 shares during the period. Harbour Investments Inc. raised its stake in Takeda Pharmaceutical by 300.3% during the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 4,612 shares of the company's stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 3,460 shares in the last quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Takeda Pharmaceutical by 30.6% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 5,184 shares of the company's stock valued at $81,000 after acquiring an additional 1,215 shares during the period. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Takeda Pharmaceutical by 3,783.0% in the 4th quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 9,824 shares of the company's stock valued at $153,000 after purchasing an additional 9,571 shares in the last quarter. 9.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Takeda Pharmaceutical

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan. The company researches, develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines and vaccines for patients and healthcare professionals around the world.

Takeda focuses on several therapeutic areas, including gastrointestinal and inflammatory diseases, rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies, oncology, neuroscience and vaccines. Its portfolio includes treatments such as Entyvio for inflammatory bowel disease, Takhzyro for hereditary angioedema, Ninlaro for multiple myeloma and Iclusig for certain blood cancers, along with other specialty medicines and vaccines.

Founded in Osaka in 1781, Takeda has grown from a traditional pharmaceutical distributor into an international biopharmaceutical company serving markets across Japan, North America, Europe and other regions.

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