Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Lowers Position in Exelixis, Inc. $EXEL

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXEL) by 64.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 19,723 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 36,477 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Exelixis were worth $1,073,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of EXEL. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Exelixis during the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,581,991,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Exelixis by 48.8% in the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 13,658,388 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $598,647,000 after acquiring an additional 4,477,029 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Exelixis by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,054,743 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $265,379,000 after acquiring an additional 94,218 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Exelixis by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,299,597 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $184,391,000 after acquiring an additional 39,920 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its stake in Exelixis by 31.0% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 4,206,656 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $184,378,000 after acquiring an additional 995,949 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.27% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on EXEL. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Exelixis from $40.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Exelixis from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating and set a $56.00 target price on shares of Exelixis in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Exelixis from $51.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Citizens Jmp increased their price target on Exelixis from $50.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Exelixis currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $50.07.

Exelixis News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Exelixis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong sales and earnings, along with reported institutional support, have helped Exelixis shares gain 43.5% over the past year. The company’s latest reported quarter also showed adjusted earnings of $0.91 per share, ahead of the $0.85 consensus estimate, while revenue increased 10.6% year over year. Strong Sales, Earnings Send Exelixis Shares Higher
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $3.18 from $3.12 and increased its Q1 2027 estimate to $0.80 from $0.79. It also lifted its Q3 2027 forecast slightly to $0.93 from $0.92, suggesting some confidence in near-term earnings execution.
• Neutral Sentiment: Exelixis remains near its 52-week high, with shares recently trading around $54.45 versus a high of $57.57. Its valuation is approximately 17 times earnings, while the company continues to show strong profitability, including a reported 35.3% net margin and 42.2% return on equity.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research maintains a “Strong Sell” rating and made several downward revisions: FY2027 EPS fell to $3.57 from $3.60, Q2 2027 EPS declined to $0.84 from $0.89, Q4 2026 EPS decreased to $0.81 from $0.83, and Q1 2028 EPS edged down to $0.96 from $0.97. These cuts could pressure the stock despite the modest upward revisions elsewhere.
• Negative Sentiment: Options activity was unusually bearish on August 27, with traders purchasing 10,010 put contracts—about 826% above the average daily put volume of 1,081. The surge indicates increased demand for downside protection or speculation on a decline.

Exelixis Price Performance

EXEL stock opened at $54.45 on Monday. Exelixis, Inc. has a 1-year low of $33.76 and a 1-year high of $57.57. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $54.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $49.04. The company has a market capitalization of $13.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.12, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.44.

Exelixis (NASDAQ:EXEL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The biotechnology company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.06. Exelixis had a net margin of 35.33% and a return on equity of 42.17%. The firm had revenue of $628.69 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $636.40 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.75 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Exelixis, Inc. will post 3.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Mary C. Beckerle sold 9,812 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.66, for a total transaction of $526,511.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 16,079 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $862,799.14. This trade represents a 37.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

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.