Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 9,403 Shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $LGND

Russell Investments Group Ltd. trimmed its holdings in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 136,130 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 9,403 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.69% of Ligand Pharmaceuticals worth $24,114,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in LGND. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth approximately $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 85.8% in the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 210 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. First Horizon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $47,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 31.6% during 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, Simplex Trading LLC purchased a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter valued at $61,000. Institutional investors own 91.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $270.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, December 29th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $244.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, HC Wainwright boosted their target price on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $231.00 to $239.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ligand Pharmaceuticals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $245.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ligand Pharmaceuticals

In other news, Director Stephen L. Sabba sold 2,034 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.50, for a total value of $409,851.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 33,793 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,809,289.50. The trade was a 5.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Octavio Espinoza sold 13,423 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.83, for a total transaction of $2,762,856.09. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 21,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,458,689.46. The trade was a 38.26% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 21,858 shares of company stock valued at $4,478,114 in the last ninety days. 7.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 4.4%

LGND opened at $211.48 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 21.98, a current ratio of 22.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $196.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $188.73. The company has a market capitalization of $4.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.27 and a beta of 1.17. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52 week low of $93.58 and a 52 week high of $227.92.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $2.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.56. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 13.86% and a net margin of 46.42%.The business had revenue of $59.67 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $55.59 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.27 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 39.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.000-9.000 EPS. Analysts forecast that Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Ligand Pharmaceuticals this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America initiated coverage on Ligand with a Buy rating and $244 price target, highlighting a diversified royalty portfolio, high margins and attractive upside from recurring royalty streams. B of A initiates coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage pickup across outlets (Seeking Alpha, Benzinga, Proactive) repeats the thesis that Ligand’s royalty model offers lower-risk exposure to biopharma growth and underpins the bullish analyst action. Seeking Alpha: BofA Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Aggregate analyst sentiment remains constructive — services report an average rating of “Moderate Buy,” reflecting general analyst support but not unanimous conviction. Analyst consensus
• Negative Sentiment: Market dynamics: a broad sell?off hit top breakout names and pressured LGND, producing a sharp intraday pullback on elevated volume — suggesting short?term momentum and sector rotation, rather than company fundamentals, drove the move. MSN: Broad sell-off rattles Ligand

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.