Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND) Sets New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

27 Apr 2026, 15:12 by Amy Steele · The Cerbat Gem

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND – Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $247.38 and last traded at $238.2860, with a volume of 48565 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $231.27.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on LGND shares. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Bank of America began coverage on Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. They set a “buy” rating and a $244.00 price target on the stock. HC Wainwright raised their price objective on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $239.00 to $243.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $276.00 to $282.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $247.29.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $4.73 billion, a PE ratio of 40.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a current ratio of 22.23, a quick ratio of 21.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The business has a fifty day moving average of $206.18 and a 200-day moving average of $198.18.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The biotechnology company reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.56. Ligand Pharmaceuticals had a return on equity of 13.86% and a net margin of 46.42%.The company had revenue of $59.67 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $55.59 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.27 EPS. Ligand Pharmaceuticals’s revenue was up 39.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Ligand Pharmaceuticals has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.000-9.000 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated will post 5.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Octavio Espinoza sold 13,423 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.83, for a total transaction of $2,762,856.09. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 21,662 shares in the company, valued at $4,458,689.46. The trade was a 38.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Andrew Reardon sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.35, for a total value of $1,031,750.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 36,869 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,607,918.15. This represents a 11.94% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 30,915 shares of company stock worth $6,385,917 in the last quarter. 7.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Keybank National Association OH boosted its position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 26.9% during the 1st quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 1,874 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $374,000 after acquiring an additional 397 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC bought a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $181,000. 1492 Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. 1492 Capital Management LLC now owns 1,958 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $391,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,737,000. Finally, BTC Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 11.5% during the 1st quarter. BTC Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,390 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $477,000 after acquiring an additional 247 shares in the last quarter. 91.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Ligand Pharmaceuticals

(Get Free Report)

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.