Dana Investment Advisors Inc. Has $13.12 Million Stock Position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated $LGND

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. decreased its position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and 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.’s holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals were worth $13,121,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Stephen L. Sabba sold 2,034 shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.50, for a total value of $409,851.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 33,793 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,809,289.50. The trade was a 5.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Andrew Reardon sold 5,000 shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 36,869 shares in the company, valued at $7,607,918.15. The trade was a 11.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 37,949 shares of company stock valued at $8,014,056. Company insiders own 7.00% of the company’s stock.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 2.6%

Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $213.21 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 20.95 and a current ratio of 21.28. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $214.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $201.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.27 billion, a PE ratio of 28.93, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.20. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52 week low of $98.89 and a 52 week high of $247.38.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on LGND shares. Wall Street Zen cut Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. HC Wainwright boosted their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $243.00 to $289.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $275.00 to $277.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $252.00 to $262.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $276.00 to $282.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.