What is Zacks Small Cap’s Forecast for LGND FY2026 Earnings?

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) – Zacks Small Cap increased their FY2026 EPS estimates for shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a note issued to investors on Monday, December 15th. Zacks Small Cap analyst J. Vandermosten now expects that the biotechnology company will earn $6.62 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $6.01. The consensus estimate for Ligand Pharmaceuticals’ current full-year earnings is $1.73 per share. Zacks Small Cap also issued estimates for Ligand Pharmaceuticals’ FY2027 earnings at $7.81 EPS.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The biotechnology company reported $3.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.96 by $1.13. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 5.71% and a net margin of 19.34%.The firm had revenue of $86.89 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $58.71 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.84 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 123.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.400-7.650 EPS.

LGND has been the subject of a number of other research reports. HC Wainwright raised their target price on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $206.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $234.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Citigroup started coverage on Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $270.00 price objective for the company. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $190.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ligand Pharmaceuticals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $239.33.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LGND opened at $198.41 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 24.69, a quick ratio of 24.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company has a market capitalization of $3.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 95.85 and a beta of 0.99. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has a 12 month low of $93.58 and a 12 month high of $212.49. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $193.35 and a 200-day moving average of $160.26.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ligand Pharmaceuticals

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of LGND. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL bought a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,789,955,000. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 3.1% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 749,754 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $85,232,000 after purchasing an additional 22,629 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. increased its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 3.0% in the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 667,311 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $118,207,000 after purchasing an additional 19,370 shares during the period. Chicago Capital LLC increased its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 3.1% in the second quarter. Chicago Capital LLC now owns 571,825 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $65,005,000 after purchasing an additional 17,308 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 59.5% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 541,845 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $95,982,000 after purchasing an additional 202,103 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Octavio Espinoza sold 1,804 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.31, for a total value of $339,711.24. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 26,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,931,085.66. This trade represents a 6.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director John W. Kozarich sold 467 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.84, for a total transaction of $91,457.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 44,121 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,640,656.64. This trade represents a 1.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,205 shares of company stock worth $2,312,287. 7.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.