Yousif Capital Management LLC Has $771,000 Holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND)

Yousif Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,193 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after acquiring an additional 96 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals were worth $771,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in LGND. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 23.3% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 661 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 49.7% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 904 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $97,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $172,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $180,000. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC acquired a new position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $210,000. 91.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director John L. Lamattina sold 2,406 shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.65, for a total transaction of $297,501.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 29,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,649,529.75. The trade was a 7.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Octavio Espinoza sold 2,104 shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $116.37, for a total value of $244,842.48. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 20,647 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,402,691.39. This represents a 9.25 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 5.90% of the company’s stock.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $120.00 on Friday. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $67.72 and a fifty-two week high of $129.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.27 billion, a PE ratio of 47.81 and a beta of 1.04. The company’s 50-day moving average is $113.75 and its 200-day moving average is $109.90.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on LGND shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $135.00 target price on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. HC Wainwright reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $141.00 to $143.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their target price on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $135.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Ligand Pharmaceuticals presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $147.00.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, a biopharmaceutical company, engages in the development and licensing of biopharmaceutical assets worldwide. Its commercial programs include Kyprolis and Evomela, which are used to treat multiple myeloma; Rylaze, a recombinant erwinia asparaginase for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia or lymphoblastic lymphoma in adult and pediatric patients; Filspari, a dual endothelin and angiotensin II receptor antagonist in development for rare kidney diseases and non-immunosuppressive treatment indicated for immunoglobulin A nephropathy; Teriparatide injection product for osteoporosis; Vaxneuvance for the prevention of invasive disease caused by streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes; and Pneumosil, a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to help fight against pneumococcal pneumonia among children.