Barclays PLC Has $4.35 Million Stock Holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND)

Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) by 20.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,456 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after buying an additional 7,247 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned 0.23% of Ligand Pharmaceuticals worth $4,349,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Rothschild Investment LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 23.3% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 661 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 21.7% during the second quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 758 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. bought a new position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at about $67,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.28% of the company’s stock.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 0.6 %

LGND stock opened at $114.64 on Friday. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 1-year low of $67.53 and a 1-year high of $129.90. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $115.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $103.19. The firm has a market cap of $2.17 billion, a PE ratio of 45.67 and a beta of 1.01.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director John L. Lamattina sold 2,406 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 29,515 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,649,529.75. This represents a 7.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Andrew Reardon sold 2,000 shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.60, for a total value of $199,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 22,534 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,244,386.40. This represents a 8.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,178 shares of company stock worth $1,485,824 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 5.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LGND has been the topic of a number of research reports. Benchmark upped their target price on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $110.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $141.00 to $143.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their target price on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $135.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $147.00.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals 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.