Exelixis, Inc. $EXEL Shares Sold by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC cut its stake in shares of Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXEL) by 18.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 272,490 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 63,116 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Exelixis were worth $14,826,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Exelixis during the second quarter worth about $1,581,991,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Exelixis by 48.8% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 13,658,388 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $598,647,000 after purchasing an additional 4,477,029 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Exelixis by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,054,743 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $265,379,000 after purchasing an additional 94,218 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Exelixis by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,299,597 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $184,391,000 after buying an additional 39,920 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Exelixis by 31.0% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,206,656 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $184,378,000 after acquiring an additional 995,949 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.27% of the company’s stock.

More Exelixis News

Here are the key news stories impacting Exelixis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong sales and earnings, along with reported institutional support, have helped Exelixis shares gain 43.5% over the past year. The company’s latest reported quarter also showed adjusted earnings of $0.91 per share, ahead of the $0.85 consensus estimate, while revenue increased 10.6% year over year. Strong Sales, Earnings Send Exelixis Shares Higher
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $3.18 from $3.12 and increased its Q1 2027 estimate to $0.80 from $0.79. It also lifted its Q3 2027 forecast slightly to $0.93 from $0.92, suggesting some confidence in near-term earnings execution.
• Neutral Sentiment: Exelixis remains near its 52-week high, with shares recently trading around $54.45 versus a high of $57.57. Its valuation is approximately 17 times earnings, while the company continues to show strong profitability, including a reported 35.3% net margin and 42.2% return on equity.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research maintains a “Strong Sell” rating and made several downward revisions: FY2027 EPS fell to $3.57 from $3.60, Q2 2027 EPS declined to $0.84 from $0.89, Q4 2026 EPS decreased to $0.81 from $0.83, and Q1 2028 EPS edged down to $0.96 from $0.97. These cuts could pressure the stock despite the modest upward revisions elsewhere.
• Negative Sentiment: Options activity was unusually bearish on August 27, with traders purchasing 10,010 put contracts—about 826% above the average daily put volume of 1,081. The surge indicates increased demand for downside protection or speculation on a decline.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on EXEL shares. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Exelixis from $43.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Leerink Partners downgraded shares of Exelixis from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $52.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered Exelixis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Citizens Jmp lifted their price objective on shares of Exelixis from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $56.00 price target on shares of Exelixis in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.07.

Insider Buying and Selling at Exelixis

In other Exelixis news, Director Sue Gail Eckhardt sold 9,812 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.14, for a total transaction of $491,973.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 16,079 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $806,201.06. This represents a 37.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Jack L. Wyszomierski sold 3,925 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.55, for a total transaction of $198,408.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 284,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,375,611.20. This trade represents a 1.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 23,549 shares of company stock valued at $1,216,894 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

Exelixis Stock Performance

Exelixis stock opened at $54.45 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $13.49 billion, a PE ratio of 17.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.44. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $54.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $49.00. Exelixis, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $33.76 and a fifty-two week high of $57.57.

Exelixis (NASDAQ:EXEL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $628.69 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $636.40 million. Exelixis had a return on equity of 42.17% and a net margin of 35.33%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.75 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Exelixis, Inc. will post 3.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.