Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $LGND Shares Sold by Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC

Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC cut its stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) by 0.6% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 287,120 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 1,707 shares during the period. Ligand Pharmaceuticals makes up about 3.1% of Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC’s holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals were worth $32,640,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LGND. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth $286,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 68.5% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 593 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 323.6% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 6,808 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $716,000 after acquiring an additional 5,201 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB raised its position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 13.7% during the first quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 6,658 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $700,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares during the period. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the first quarter worth $32,000. 91.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of LGND opened at $177.73 on Friday. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $93.58 and a 12-month high of $186.40. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $163.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $129.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.48 billion, a P/E ratio of -44.43 and a beta of 0.95.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The biotechnology company reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.06. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 40.44% and a negative return on equity of 9.21%. The firm had revenue of $47.63 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $43.87 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.40 earnings per share. Ligand Pharmaceuticals’s quarterly revenue was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.700-7.000 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on LGND shares. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $155.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday. HC Wainwright increased their target price on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $157.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 28th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $167.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $176.50.

Insider Transactions at Ligand Pharmaceuticals

In other Ligand Pharmaceuticals news, Director John W. Kozarich sold 467 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.44, for a total transaction of $83,798.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 45,055 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,084,669.20. This trade represents a 1.03% 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, Director Jason Aryeh sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.81, for a total transaction of $1,708,100.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 69,289 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,835,254.09. This trade represents a 12.61% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 11,401 shares of company stock valued at $1,929,262 in the last three months. 7.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development and licensing of biopharmaceutical assets worldwide. Its commercial programs include Kyprolis and Evomela, which are used to treat multiple myeloma; Rylaze, a recombinant erwinia asparaginase for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia or lymphoblastic lymphoma in adult and pediatric patients; Filspari, a dual endothelin and angiotensin II receptor antagonist in development for rare kidney diseases and non-immunosuppressive treatment indicated for immunoglobulin A nephropathy; Teriparatide injection product for osteoporosis; Vaxneuvance for the prevention of invasive disease caused by streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes; and Pneumosil, a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to help fight against pneumococcal pneumonia among children.