Rep. Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. Purchases Shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND)

Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. (D-California) recently bought shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND). In a filing disclosed on February 13th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock on January 15th. The trade occurred in the Representative’s “150 MAIN STREET TRUST > BANK OF AMERICA” account.

Representative Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr. also recently made the following trade(s):

• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Hermès International Société en commandite par actions (OTCMKTS:HESAF) on 2/3/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Tencent (OTC:TCTZF) on 2/3/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Xiaomi (OTCMKTS:XIACF) on 2/3/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (OTCMKTS:MHVYF) on 2/3/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN) on 2/3/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Leonardo (OTCMKTS:FINMF) on 2/3/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Costco Wholesale (NASDAQ:COST) on 1/30/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Transdigm Group (NYSE:TDG) on 1/30/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Cloudflare (NYSE:NET) on 1/30/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of AutoZone (NYSE:AZO) on 1/30/2026.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LGND traded up $5.08 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $188.91. 61,834 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 221,777. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $193.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $182.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 24.30 and a current ratio of 24.69. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 52 week low of $93.58 and a 52 week high of $212.49. The company has a market cap of $3.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 91.53 and a beta of 1.14.

Insider Activity at Ligand Pharmaceuticals

In other news, CFO Octavio Espinoza sold 1,804 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.31, for a total value of $339,711.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 26,186 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,931,085.66. This represents a 6.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John W. Kozarich sold 467 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $195.91, for a total value of $91,489.97. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 43,187 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,460,765.17. This represents a 1.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,205 shares of company stock valued at $611,192. Company insiders own 7.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,014 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $357,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System grew its holdings in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 2,872 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $543,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 12.3% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 575 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $102,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 31.6% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 271 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 86.3% during the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 149 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LGND has been the topic of several recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $234.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. HC Wainwright raised their price objective on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $206.00 to $231.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Benchmark upped their target price on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $175.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $190.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $239.33.

About Representative Cisneros

Gil Cisneros (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing California’s 31st Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2025. His current term ends on January 3, 2027.

Cisneros (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent California’s 31st Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the 2026 election.

Gil Cisneros served in the U.S. Navy as a supply officer from 1994 to 2004. Cisneros earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from George Washington University in 1994, a master’s in business administration from Regis University in 2002, and a master’s degree in urban education policy from Brown University in 2015. His career experience includes working as a logistics manager for Frito-Lay. In 2010, Cisneros won the lottery and became involved in activism and philanthropy, founding a scholarship program for local high school students. In 2021, President Joe Biden (D) appointed Cisneros as under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness.

About Ligand Pharmaceuticals

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.