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

Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. (D-California) recently bought shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND). In a filing disclosed on February 13th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock on January 5th. 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 Hermès International Société en commandite par actions (OTCMKTS:HESAF) on 2/3/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Tencent (OTC:TCTZF) on 2/3/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Xiaomi (OTCMKTS:XIACF) on 2/3/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (OTCMKTS:MHVYF) on 2/3/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) on 2/3/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Leonardo (OTCMKTS:FINMF) on 2/3/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) on 1/30/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Transdigm Group (NYSE:TDG) on 1/30/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Cloudflare (NYSE:NET) on 1/30/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) on 1/30/2026.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock traded down $2.34 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $183.98. The company had a trading volume of 163,846 shares, compared to its average volume of 176,651. The company has a market capitalization of $3.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 88.88 and a beta of 1.14. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $93.58 and a 12-month high of $212.49. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $193.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $184.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 24.69 and a quick ratio of 24.30.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LGND. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 25.8% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 6,120 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $644,000 after buying an additional 1,256 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter valued at approximately $344,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 8.2% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 10,660 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,121,000 after acquiring an additional 809 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 9.8% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 55,327 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $5,817,000 after acquiring an additional 4,926 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 176.2% in the first quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 36,922 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $3,882,000 after purchasing an additional 23,553 shares during the period. 91.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ligand Pharmaceuticals

In other Ligand Pharmaceuticals news, Director John W. Kozarich sold 467 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.91, for a total transaction of $91,489.97. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 43,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,460,765.17. This trade represents a 1.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Octavio Espinoza sold 1,804 shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.31, for a total transaction of $339,711.24. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 26,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,931,085.66. This represents a 6.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,205 shares of company stock worth $611,192. Corporate insiders own 7.00% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LGND has been the topic of several research reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Benchmark lifted their target price on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $175.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $270.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $234.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ligand Pharmaceuticals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.33.

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.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

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.