Hantz Financial Services Inc. Takes $839,000 Position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND)

Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 7,827 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock, valued at approximately $839,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 707,414 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $70,805,000 after acquiring an additional 18,642 shares in the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. raised its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 3.0% in the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 604,038 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $60,458,000 after purchasing an additional 17,414 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Capital LLC lifted its position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 6.0% during the third quarter. Chicago Capital LLC now owns 545,821 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $54,631,000 after purchasing an additional 30,875 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 428,270 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $42,874,000 after buying an additional 22,495 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its holdings in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 44.3% in the 3rd quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 372,779 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $37,312,000 after buying an additional 114,436 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Activity at Ligand Pharmaceuticals

In other Ligand Pharmaceuticals news, Director John L. Lamattina sold 2,406 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.65, for a total transaction of $297,501.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 29,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,649,529.75. This represents a 7.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Octavio Espinoza sold 2,104 shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 20,647 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,402,691.39. This represents a 9.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of LGND stock opened at $116.55 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.43 and a beta of 1.05. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $67.72 and a fifty-two week high of $129.90. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $115.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $109.02.

About Ligand Pharmaceuticals

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.