Zacks Small Cap Has Strong Estimate for LGND FY2026 Earnings

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) – Stock analysts at Zacks Small Cap lifted their FY2026 earnings estimates for Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, December 16th. Zacks Small Cap analyst J. Vandermosten now anticipates that the biotechnology company will earn $5.00 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $4.60. The consensus estimate for Ligand Pharmaceuticals’ current full-year earnings is $1.73 per share.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on LGND. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $135.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $141.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Benchmark increased their target price on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $147.00.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 4.6 %

Shares of LGND stock opened at $122.34 on Tuesday. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has a 1 year low of $67.36 and a 1 year high of $129.90. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $114.39 and its 200-day moving average is $102.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.74 and a beta of 1.01.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Rothschild Investment LLC bought a new position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 23.3% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 661 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC raised its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 21.7% in the 2nd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 758 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. acquired a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter valued at $67,000. Institutional investors own 91.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Ligand Pharmaceuticals

In related news, Director John L. Lamattina sold 2,406 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.65, for a total value of $297,501.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 29,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,649,529.75. This trade represents a 7.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Octavio Espinoza sold 1,275 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.94, for a total transaction of $132,523.50. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 24,610 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,557,963.40. The trade was a 4.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 21,728 shares of company stock valued at $2,271,575. 5.90% of the stock is owned by 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.