Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) Stock: Insider Andrew Reardon Sells 5,000 Shares

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) insider Andrew Reardon sold 5,000 shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $313.22, for a total value of $1,566,100.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 31,854 shares in the company, valued at $9,977,309.88. This trade represents a 13.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Andrew Reardon also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, October 2nd, Andrew Reardon sold 5,000 shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $304.07, for a total value of $1,520,350.00.
• On Thursday, September 3rd, Andrew Reardon sold 5,000 shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $286.09, for a total transaction of $1,430,450.00.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $299.00 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $298.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $254.61. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12 month low of $175.89 and a 12 month high of $326.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 133.48, a PEG ratio of 5.52 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 30.96.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The biotechnology company reported $2.67 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.33 by $0.34. The firm had revenue of $78.75 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $77.00 million. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 20.27% and a return on equity of 5.22%. Ligand Pharmaceuticals’s quarterly revenue was down 31.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.09 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 2.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on LGND shares. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $266.00 to $388.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $397.00 to $402.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Oppenheimer restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $326.00 target price (up from $285.00) on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Leerink Partners initiated coverage on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, August 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $330.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $345.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $339.78.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $402 from $397 and maintained a Buy rating, implying substantial upside from the referenced $299 share price. Citigroup analyst coverage
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright raised its Q4 2026 EPS estimate to $2.50 from $2.11 and reiterated its Buy rating. HC Wainwright estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Ligand’s latest reported quarter beat EPS and revenue expectations, though revenue fell 31.8% year over year, a mixed fundamental backdrop for investors.
• Negative Sentiment: HC Wainwright sharply lowered its FY2026 EPS estimate to $2.88 from $5.02 and cut FY2027 to $7.15 from $7.90. Those reduced full-year forecasts may offset the improved Q4 outlook. HC Wainwright estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Insider Andrew Reardon sold 5,000 shares, reducing his holdings by 13.57%; the transaction was under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. Director Jason Aryeh also sold shares, including 700 on November 2, though that sale represented a small reduction in his holdings. Insider transactions

Institutional Trading of Ligand Pharmaceuticals

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Jacobi Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $75,000. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 118.9% during the 2nd quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 243 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $77,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 49.8% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 337 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $105,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. 91.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ: LGND) is a biopharmaceutical company that develops, acquires and licenses technologies intended to improve the development and commercialization of medicines. Rather than operating primarily as a traditional drug manufacturer, Ligand generally works with pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners, receiving licensing payments, royalties and other consideration tied to partnered products.

The company’s principal technology is Captisol, a modified cyclodextrin designed to improve the solubility, stability and delivery of certain active pharmaceutical ingredients.