Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $LGND Stock Position Reduced by Dana Investment Advisors Inc.

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. lessened its position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) by 4.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 69,396 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 3,263 shares during the period. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. owned about 0.35% of Ligand Pharmaceuticals worth $13,121,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 385,028.9% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 146,349 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $27,670,000 after buying an additional 146,311 shares during the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $284,000. Pier 88 Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 18.3% in the 4th quarter. Pier 88 Investment Partners LLC now owns 8,520 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,611,000 after purchasing an additional 1,320 shares during the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $345,000. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 25.2% in the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 2,264 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $428,000 after purchasing an additional 456 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.28% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Andrew Reardon sold 5,000 shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.35, for a total value of $1,031,750.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 36,869 shares in the company, valued at $7,607,918.15. The trade was a 11.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director John W. Kozarich sold 1,575 shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $223.50, for a total value of $352,012.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 41,786 shares in the company, valued at $9,339,171. The trade was a 3.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 37,949 shares of company stock valued at $8,014,056. Insiders own 7.00% of the company’s stock.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of LGND stock opened at $213.21 on Friday. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1 year low of $98.89 and a 1 year high of $247.38. The stock has a market cap of $4.27 billion, a PE ratio of 28.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.20. The business’s fifty day moving average is $214.48 and its 200-day moving average is $201.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 20.95 and a current ratio of 21.28.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 14th. The biotechnology company reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.84 by ($0.21). Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a net margin of 55.95% and a return on equity of 16.19%. The firm had revenue of $51.72 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $59.10 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.33 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 5.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LGND has been the topic of several recent research reports. HC Wainwright raised their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $243.00 to $289.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $252.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 8th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $244.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $276.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $257.71.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Ligand Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a biopharmaceutical company that acquires, develops and out-licenses proprietary technologies designed to help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies discover and develop novel medicines. Operating primarily through its research services and royalty-generating businesses, Ligand focuses on building a diversified portfolio of technology platforms and partnering with industry leaders to advance therapeutic candidates across multiple disease areas.

The company’s product offerings center around several core platforms.