Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) Shares Sold by Barclays PLC

Barclays PLC cut its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND - Free Report) by 8.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 39,972 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 3,484 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned about 0.21% of Ligand Pharmaceuticals worth $4,282,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 7,193 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $771,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 14.8% during the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 758 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 2,862 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $307,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 5,297 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $568,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 4,034 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $432,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. 91.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of LGND opened at $108.07 on Monday. The stock's 50 day moving average is $108.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $112.39. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a twelve month low of $69.51 and a twelve month high of $129.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.08 billion, a PE ratio of 43.06 and a beta of 1.07.

Insider Activity at Ligand Pharmaceuticals

In other Ligand Pharmaceuticals news, CFO Octavio Espinoza sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.03, for a total value of $575,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 18,879 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,171,651.37. This trade represents a 20.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 5.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LGND has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $143.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com raised Ligand Pharmaceuticals from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ligand Pharmaceuticals has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $146.43.

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.

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