Candriam S.C.A. Reduces Holdings in Exelixis, Inc. $EXEL

Candriam S.C.A. reduced its holdings in Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXEL) by 50.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 143,557 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 143,661 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. owned approximately 0.06% of Exelixis worth $6,157,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EXEL. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Exelixis by 62.5% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 187,154 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $8,224,000 after purchasing an additional 71,987 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Exelixis by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 2,539,421 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $111,303,000 after purchasing an additional 28,265 shares during the period. Private Client Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Exelixis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,992,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Exelixis by 692.3% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 140,446 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $6,156,000 after buying an additional 122,720 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Investment Advisors MI boosted its stake in Exelixis by 486.6% during the 3rd quarter. Strategic Investment Advisors MI now owns 33,343 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,377,000 after purchasing an additional 27,659 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.27% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on EXEL. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Exelixis in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of Exelixis from $43.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Wall Street Zen raised Exelixis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. Barclays upped their price objective 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Exelixis from $40.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Exelixis currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $48.53.

Exelixis Stock Down 0.8%

NASDAQ:EXEL opened at $56.04 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $14.09 billion, a PE ratio of 18.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.42. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $51.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $46.53. Exelixis, Inc. has a 12 month low of $33.76 and a 12 month high of $57.57.

Exelixis (NASDAQ:EXEL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The biotechnology company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.75 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $610.81 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $607.51 million. Exelixis had a return on equity of 39.89% and a net margin of 35.08%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.55 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Exelixis, Inc. will post 3.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Exelixis

In other Exelixis news, EVP Dana Aftab sold 43,451 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.35, for a total transaction of $2,187,757.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 594,741 shares in the company, valued at $29,945,209.35. This trade represents a 6.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Maria C. Freire sold 20,634 shares of the firm’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 directly owned 100,819 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,637,674. This represents a 16.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 219,170 shares of company stock worth $10,620,641. Company insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

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.