Stifel Nicolaus Issues Positive Forecast for Exelixis (NASDAQ:EXEL) Stock Price

Key Points

• Stifel Nicolaus raised Exelixis’s price target to $51 from $47 but maintained a “Hold” rating, implying roughly 7.5% downside from the reported $55.15 share price. The broader analyst consensus is also “Hold,” with an average target of $49.79.
• Exelixis beat quarterly earnings expectations, reporting $0.91 EPS versus $0.85 expected, while revenue rose 10.6% year over year to $628.7 million. However, the company lowered 2026 revenue guidance to $2.5 billion–$2.6 billion, offsetting some of the earnings-positive news.
• Analysts cited continued strength in the Cabozantinib franchise and potential from zanzalintinib, while institutional ownership remains high at 85.27%. Insiders sold 130,824 shares worth approximately $6.6 million over the last quarter.

Exelixis (NASDAQ:EXEL - Get Free Report) had its price target boosted by analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $47.00 to $51.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "hold" rating on the biotechnology company's stock. Stifel Nicolaus' price target would indicate a potential downside of 7.52% from the company's current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on EXEL. Citizens Jmp raised their target price on Exelixis from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "market outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Barclays increased their price objective on Exelixis from $45.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating on shares of Exelixis in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. UBS Group set a $55.00 target price on Exelixis in a research report on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Exelixis from $43.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $49.79.

Exelixis Price Performance

NASDAQ EXEL traded down $1.55 during trading on Thursday, hitting $55.15. The company's stock had a trading volume of 949,224 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,687,123. Exelixis has a fifty-two week low of $33.76 and a fifty-two week high of $57.57. The company has a market cap of $13.86 billion, a PE ratio of 18.34, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.44. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $54.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.84.

Exelixis (NASDAQ:EXEL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $628.69 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $636.40 million. Exelixis had a net margin of 35.08% and a return on equity of 39.89%. Exelixis's revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.75 EPS. Analysts expect that Exelixis will post 3.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Sue Gail Eckhardt sold 9,812 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.14, for a total value of $491,973.68. Following the sale, the director owned 16,079 shares in the company, valued at $806,201.06. This represents a 37.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Patrick J. Haley sold 32,110 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.81, for a total value of $1,599,399.10. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 357,638 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,813,948.78. This trade represents a 8.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 130,824 shares of company stock worth $6,555,231. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Exelixis

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Exelixis by 48.8% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 13,658,388 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $598,647,000 after buying an additional 4,477,029 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Exelixis by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,054,743 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $265,379,000 after acquiring an additional 94,218 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Exelixis by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,299,597 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $184,391,000 after purchasing an additional 39,920 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of Exelixis by 31.0% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,206,656 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $184,378,000 after purchasing an additional 995,949 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG raised its holdings in Exelixis by 40.2% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 3,722,334 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $163,150,000 after purchasing an additional 1,067,265 shares during the period. 85.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Exelixis

Here are the key news stories impacting Exelixis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Exelixis reported second-quarter EPS of $0.91, above analyst expectations of approximately $0.85-$0.86 and up from $0.75 a year earlier. Revenue increased 10.6% year over year to $628.7 million, while net margin was 35.1%. Exelixis Tops Q2 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted continued resilience from its Cabozantinib franchise, disciplined cost management and potential upside from zanzalintinib, including planned launches in colorectal cancer. TD Cowen reaffirmed its Buy rating, citing these factors, although its $55 price target is below the stock’s recent trading level. TD Cowen Reaffirms Buy Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its third-quarter 2026 EPS estimate slightly to $0.77, while projecting full-year EPS of $3.12 in 2026, $3.60 in 2027 and $4.18 in 2028. These forecasts remain broadly consistent with continued earnings growth, but Zacks maintains a Strong Sell rating.
• Negative Sentiment: Exelixis lowered 2026 revenue guidance to $2.5 billion-$2.6 billion, putting the midpoint $50 million below the prior outlook and roughly in line with the consensus estimate’s lower end. The reduction, tied in part to near-term net revenue expectations, overshadowed the EPS beat. Exelixis Lowers 2026 Revenue Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks downgraded Exelixis from Hold to Strong Sell and trimmed its FY2026, FY2027 and FY2028 EPS estimates modestly, including a reduction in 2028 EPS from $4.28 to $4.18. The revisions reinforce investor concerns about longer-term growth expectations.

Exelixis Company Profile

Exelixis, Inc is a biotechnology company specializing in the discovery, development and commercialization of small molecule therapies primarily for the treatment of cancer. Building on a platform that leverages model organism genetics and high-throughput screening, the company focuses its research on kinase inhibitors that modulate critical signaling pathways involved in tumor growth and metastasis. Exelixis's translational research approach aims to advance novel compounds from early-stage discovery through clinical development and regulatory approval.

The company's most recognized products include CABOMETYX® (cabozantinib), approved for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma, and COMETRIQ® (cabozantinib) for metastatic medullary thyroid cancer.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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