Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Has $15.76 Million Stock Position in Exelixis, Inc. $EXEL

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXEL) by 43.3% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 381,659 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after purchasing an additional 115,395 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Exelixis were worth $15,763,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Exelixis by 10.3% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 7,606,079 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $335,238,000 after purchasing an additional 712,190 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Exelixis by 0.4% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,445,469 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $328,196,000 after buying an additional 28,289 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in shares of Exelixis by 42.9% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,262,643 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $231,951,000 after buying an additional 1,580,567 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its position in shares of Exelixis by 120.5% during the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 3,047,222 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $134,306,000 after acquiring an additional 1,665,110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Exelixis in the second quarter worth approximately $122,099,000. Institutional investors own 85.27% of the company’s stock.

Exelixis Trading Down 0.2%

NASDAQ:EXEL opened at $44.04 on Friday. Exelixis, Inc. has a 12 month low of $31.90 and a 12 month high of $49.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.58, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.40. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $43.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $41.12.

Exelixis (NASDAQ:EXEL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The biotechnology company reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.10. Exelixis had a net margin of 29.63% and a return on equity of 31.06%. The company had revenue of $597.76 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $590.04 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.47 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Exelixis, Inc. will post 2.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on EXEL shares. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $36.00 target price on shares of Exelixis in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Exelixis in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $47.00 price objective for the company. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Exelixis in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Guggenheim cut shares of Exelixis from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Exelixis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $45.84.

Insider Transactions at Exelixis

In related news, EVP Patrick J. Haley sold 28,043 shares of Exelixis stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.58, for a total value of $1,194,070.94. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 374,029 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,926,154.82. This trade represents a 6.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Dana Aftab sold 48,383 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.50, for a total transaction of $2,056,277.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 664,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $28,253,065. This trade represents a 6.78% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 245,235 shares of company stock worth $10,490,600. Insiders own 2.82% of the company’s stock.

About Exelixis

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.