Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. Takes $734,000 Position in Exelixis, Inc. $EXEL

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. bought a new stake in Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXEL) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 16,715 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, valued at approximately $734,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its holdings in shares of Exelixis by 74.4% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 8,427 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $369,000 after buying an additional 3,595 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in Exelixis by 2,920.5% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 25,040 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,098,000 after purchasing an additional 24,211 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Exelixis by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 28,653 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,256,000 after purchasing an additional 982 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Exelixis by 228.4% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 153,724 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $6,738,000 after purchasing an additional 106,912 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westover Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Exelixis by 12.2% during the fourth quarter. Westover Capital Advisors LLC now owns 86,427 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $3,788,000 after purchasing an additional 9,392 shares in the last quarter. 85.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on EXEL shares. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Exelixis from $44.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Exelixis from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Exelixis in a report on Tuesday, May 19th. Truist Financial raised shares of Exelixis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Exelixis from $46.00 to $43.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Exelixis has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $47.35.

Insider Activity at Exelixis

In other Exelixis news, EVP Patrick J. Haley sold 32,110 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.81, for a total transaction of $1,599,399.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 357,638 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,813,948.78. This represents a 8.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Maria C. Freire sold 20,634 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.00, for a total transaction of $949,164.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 100,819 shares in the company, valued at $4,637,674. The trade was a 16.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 219,170 shares of company stock valued at $10,620,641 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

Exelixis Trading Up 6.3%

Shares of EXEL opened at $51.60 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $46.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $44.39. Exelixis, Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.76 and a twelve month high of $52.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.14, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.41.

Exelixis (NASDAQ:EXEL) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The biotechnology company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.12. Exelixis had a net margin of 35.08% and a return on equity of 39.89%. The company had revenue of $610.81 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $607.51 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.55 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Exelixis, Inc. will post 3.18 EPS for the current 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.