Exelixis, Inc. $EXEL Position Increased by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXEL) by 2,920.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 25,040 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 24,211 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Exelixis were worth $1,098,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EXEL. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its position in Exelixis by 81.6% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 43,181 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,592,000 after acquiring an additional 19,407 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in Exelixis by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,466,779 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $54,153,000 after acquiring an additional 68,133 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth increased its position in Exelixis by 83.4% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 38,458 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,420,000 after acquiring an additional 17,483 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in Exelixis by 134.3% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,647 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 944 shares during the period. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Exelixis by 23.8% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 14,362 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $633,000 after acquiring an additional 2,764 shares during the period. 85.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jack L. Wyszomierski sold 3,925 shares of Exelixis stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.55, for a total transaction of $198,408.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 284,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,375,611.20. This trade represents a 1.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Sue Gail Eckhardt sold 9,812 shares of Exelixis stock in a transaction on Monday, June 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.14, for a total value of $491,973.68. Following the sale, the director directly owned 16,079 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $806,201.06. The trade was a 37.90% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 219,170 shares of company stock valued at $10,620,641. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Exelixis Stock Performance

EXEL opened at $52.70 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $13.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.51, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.41. Exelixis, Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.76 and a 1 year high of $52.98. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $46.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $44.54.

Exelixis (NASDAQ:EXEL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The biotechnology company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $610.81 million during 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.55 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Exelixis, Inc. will post 3.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on EXEL. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Exelixis from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Exelixis from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Exelixis in a research report on Tuesday, May 19th. Zacks Research cut Exelixis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on Exelixis from $51.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $47.35.

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.