Rep. Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. Buys Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) Shares

Key Points

• Rep. Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. disclosed a purchase of Ligand Pharmaceuticals shares worth between $1,001 and $15,000 on May 29, with the filing made public on June 8.
• Ligand Pharmaceuticals recently reported Q1 earnings that missed estimates, posting $1.63 EPS versus $1.84 expected and revenue of $51.72 million versus $59.10 million expected, even though revenue rose 14.1% year over year.
• Analysts remain mostly positive on LGND, with seven Buy ratings and one Hold rating, giving the stock a consensus Moderate Buy and an average price target of $257.71.

Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. (Democratic-California) recently bought shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND). In a filing disclosed on June 08th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock on May 29th. The trade occurred in the Representative's "150 MAIN STREET TRUST > BANK OF AMERICA" account.

Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. also recently made the following trade(s):

• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of SoftBank Group OTCMKTS: SFTBF on 6/2/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Ciena NYSE: CIEN on 5/29/2026.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of AutoZone NYSE: AZO on 5/29/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Independent Bank NASDAQ: INDB on 5/29/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Arcutis Biotherapeutics NASDAQ: ARQT on 5/29/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of HealthEquity NASDAQ: HQY on 5/29/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Boston Scientific NYSE: BSX on 5/29/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Perella Weinberg Partners NASDAQ: PWP on 5/29/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Cooper Companies NASDAQ: COO on 5/29/2026.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Workday NASDAQ: WDAY on 5/29/2026.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $243.28 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $222.27 and a 200 day moving average of $205.66. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12 month low of $106.29 and a 12 month high of $247.38. The firm has a market cap of $4.88 billion, a PE ratio of 33.01, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 21.28, a quick ratio of 20.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biotechnology company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.84 by ($0.21). Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 55.95% and a return on equity of 16.19%. The firm had revenue of $51.72 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $59.10 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.33 earnings per share. Ligand Pharmaceuticals's quarterly revenue was up 14.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 4.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $52,000. 91.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Andrew Reardon sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.06, for a total value of $1,135,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 41,382 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,396,196.92. This trade represents a 10.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Stephen L. Sabba sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.87, for a total value of $207,870.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 32,793 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,816,680.91. The trade was a 2.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 18,968 shares of company stock valued at $4,163,441 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 7.00% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on LGND shares. Bank of America started coverage on Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. They set a "buy" rating and a $244.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings lowered Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Citigroup increased their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $276.00 to $282.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. HC Wainwright increased their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $243.00 to $289.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $257.71.

About Representative Cisneros

Gil Cisneros (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing California's 31st Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2025. His current term ends on January 3, 2027. Cisneros (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent California's 31st Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election. Gil Cisneros served in the U.S. Navy as a supply officer from 1994 to 2004. Cisneros earned a bachelor's degree in political science from George Washington University in 1994, a master's in business administration from Regis University in 2002, and a master's degree in urban education policy from Brown University in 2015. His career experience includes working as a logistics manager for Frito-Lay. In 2010, Cisneros won the lottery and became involved in activism and philanthropy, founding a scholarship program for local high school students. In 2021, President Joe Biden (D) appointed Cisneros as under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness.

About Ligand Pharmaceuticals

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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