2,205 Shares in Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) Acquired by Cetera Trust Company N.A

Cetera Trust Company N.A purchased a new position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 2,205 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, valued at approximately $157,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of LGND. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 95.1% in the 3rd quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 441 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 215 shares during the period. Advisor Resource Council purchased a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $200,000. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $205,000. Legato Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $212,000. Finally, BTC Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 17.7% in the 3rd quarter. BTC Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,386 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $263,000 after buying an additional 658 shares during the period. 91.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 5.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:LGND opened at $68.53 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $74.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $67.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.92 and a beta of 1.01. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $49.24 and a 12-month high of $94.57.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The biotechnology company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.55. The business had revenue of $28.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.54 million. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 11.98% and a net margin of 37.80%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 3.41 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LGND has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and issued a $144.00 target price on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $95.00 target price on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, April 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ligand Pharmaceuticals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $116.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ligand Pharmaceuticals

In other Ligand Pharmaceuticals news, Director Stephen L. Sabba sold 1,893 shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.30, for a total value of $140,649.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 28,926 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,149,201.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 10.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development and licensing of biopharmaceutical assets worldwide. Its commercial programs include Kyprolis and Evomela, which are used to treat multiple myeloma; Rylaze, a recombinant erwinia asparaginase for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia or lymphoblastic lymphoma in adult and pediatric patients; Filspari, a dual endothelin and angiotensin II receptor antagonist in development for rare kidney diseases and non-immunosuppressive treatment indicated for immunoglobulin A nephropathy; Teriparatide injection product for osteoporosis; Vaxneuvance for the prevention of invasive disease caused by streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes; and Pneumosil, a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to help fight against pneumococcal pneumonia among children.