Takeda Pharmaceutical (NYSE:TAK) Sets New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. (NYSE:TAK) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday. The stock traded as high as $20.13 and last traded at $20.0750, with a volume of 2,907,336 shares. The stock had previously closed at $19.61.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TAK has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Takeda Pharmaceutical from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 18th. Zacks Research downgraded Takeda Pharmaceutical from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Takeda Pharmaceutical from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Takeda Pharmaceutical presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average is $18.57 and its 200-day moving average is $17.31. The stock has a market cap of $65.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.86 and a beta of -0.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

Takeda Pharmaceutical (NYSE:TAK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The company reported $0.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.54. Takeda Pharmaceutical had a return on equity of 10.95% and a net margin of 3.80%. The company had revenue of $7.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.13 billion. Takeda Pharmaceutical has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.009-3.009 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. will post 1.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Takeda Pharmaceutical

In related news, insider Giles Platford sold 31,083 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.10, for a total transaction of $531,519.30. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 315,838 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,400,829.80. This represents a 8.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, General Counsel Anne Furney sold 30,868 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.10, for a total value of $527,842.80. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel directly owned 204,298 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,493,495.80. The trade was a 13.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last three months, insiders sold 627,457 shares of company stock valued at $10,981,175. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Takeda Pharmaceutical

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in TAK. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Takeda Pharmaceutical by 28.8% during the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,306 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 515 shares during the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. purchased a new stake in Takeda Pharmaceutical during the third quarter valued at about $59,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its position in Takeda Pharmaceutical by 30.6% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 5,184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $81,000 after acquiring an additional 1,215 shares during the period. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Takeda Pharmaceutical during the first quarter worth about $186,000. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Takeda Pharmaceutical during the second quarter worth about $163,000. 9.17% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Profile

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The company researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes medicines for patients worldwide, with a focus on areas of significant unmet medical need. Its principal therapeutic areas include gastroenterology, rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies, oncology, neuroscience and vaccines.

Takeda’s portfolio includes treatments such as Entyvio for inflammatory bowel disease, Takhzyro for hereditary angioedema, and medicines for certain blood cancers and rare conditions.