Insider buying last 90 days
No open-market insider purchases were filed for LGND in the last 90 days.
From Form 4 filings, dated to when each was filed.
Every LGND insider filing, plotted on the chart in Gekko.Open LGND in Gekko
NASDAQ: LGND
Ligand Pharmaceuticals (LGND) Stock Analysis & Forecast
Sep 28 close
$314.10+12.58 (+4.2%)
Gekko Brief
AI summaryThis week Ligand builds out its pipeline and royalty portfolio through a series of deals. The company entered a financing agreement with AvenCell Therapeutics worth up to $47 million to advance next-generation CAR-T therapies, and separately acquired a royalty and milestone interest in Santen's Ryjunea from Sydnexis for $23 million, gaining a tiered low-double-digit to high-teens royalty on European, Middle Eastern and African sales of the myopia treatment. These moves follow Ligand's last reported quarter, when royalty revenue rose 32% year-over-year and adjusted EPS grew 48%, with EPS of $2.37 beating the $2.01 estimate.
Shares close at $314.10, up 4.2%, sitting above both the 50-day average of $291.29 and the 200-day average of $239.36. The stock's GekkoIndex reading of 43.6 places it in the Distribution zone, having fallen 13.4 points over the past five sessions. Price stands 11.5% above the Gekko Fair Value of $281.63.
The next earnings report is scheduled for 5 November, 37 days out, with a consensus EPS estimate of $2.31 and revenue estimate of $77.95 million for the period, placing the release outside a typical 20-trading-day hold. No insider, Congress or unusual options activity appears in the recent windows. Seasonally, the next 20 trading days have averaged a 1.4% gain over five years, rising in three of them. Consensus among nine covering firms stands at buy, with a price target of $344.18.
Written by AI and checked automatically against the figures on this page. Generated Sep 29, 2026 from the data above.
Ligand Pharmaceuticals price vs fair value
Close $314.10200-day averageGekko Fair Value $281.63
Ligand Pharmaceuticals quick facts
- Market cap
- $6.29B
- P/E ratio
- 30.7
- Forward P/E
- 24.8
- EPS, TTM
- $9.75
- Revenue, TTM
- $290.5M
- Profit margin
- 67.9%
- Dividend yield
- —
- Beta
- 0.98
- Volume
- 239,593 avg 231,692
- 1-year return
- +88.4%
- Typical daily move
- ±2.9%
- Typical 20-day move
- ±7.2%
- 50-day average
- $291.29
- 200-day average
- $239.36
- Next earnings
- Nov 5
- Shares outstanding
- 19.94M
Ligand Pharmaceuticals swing-trade checklist
Ligand Pharmaceuticals scores 3 supportive, 0 mixed and 2 headwinds across the 5 checklist items with data.
Six things swing traders check before a 20-day hold, read from the latest data.
3 supportive0 mixed2 headwinds
- Trendsupportive
Above 50 and 200-day
Close $314.10 is above the 50-day ($291.29) and 200-day ($239.36) averages, and the 50-day is above the 200-day.
See the chart - GekkoIndexheadwind
43.6, Distribution
Reading 43.6 is in the Distribution zone.
See the GekkoIndex - Fair valueheadwind
11.5% above
Price is 11.5% above Gekko Fair Value (more than 5% above).
See fair value - Smart moneyno data
No data
No insider, Congress or unusual options activity in the window.
See smart money - Earnings risksupportive
Reports in 37 days
Next report Nov 5, 2026, 37 days away — outside a typical 20-trading-day hold.
See earnings - Seasonalitysupportive
+1.4% on average
From this point in the calendar, the next 20 trading days averaged +1.4% over 5 years, rising in 3 of them.
See seasonality
A description of current data, not a recommendation. How this page works
Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock chart and price history
Ligand Pharmaceuticals closed at $314.10 on Sep 28, 2026, +88.4% over the past year, inside a 52-week range of $166.10 to $326.63.
Close50-day average200-day averageVolume
Use the left and right arrow keys to read daily values.
Performance Breakdown
- 1 month
- +10.4%
- 3 months
- 0.0%
- 6 months
- +60.7%
- 1 year
- +88.4%
The full LGND chart adds GekkoIndex, insider, options, Congress and hedge fund markers, plus TrendCandles™.Open LGND in Gekko
Follow Ligand Pharmaceuticals through every session
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About Ligand Pharmaceuticals
Ligand Pharmaceuticals works with drugmakers around the world, supplying technologies and materials that support the discovery and development of new medicines. The company is closely associated with Captisol, a proprietary formulation technology it supplies directly and which underpins several products used across its partnerships. Its name is tied to treatments spanning blood cancers, infectious disease, bone health and other conditions, reflecting the breadth of the therapies it has helped bring to market.
Ligand's commercialized products cover a wide medical range, including therapies for multiple myeloma and leukemia, COVID-19 and pneumococcal disease, osteoporosis, postpartum depression, autoimmune disorders, breast cancer and hypertension, among others. Beyond these marketed products, the company takes part in numerous partnered programs still in clinical development, addressing cancer, seizure disorders, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, muscle wasting, and hepatic and renal conditions. Its role centers on enabling other pharmaceutical companies' research and product development rather than solely marketing medicines under its own name.
Founded in 1987, Ligand Pharmaceuticals is based in Emeryville, California. Its shares trade on the NASDAQ under the ticker LGND.
- Listed
- NASDAQ
- Sector
- Health technology
- Industry
- Pharmaceuticals: major
- Website
- ligand.com
Ligand Pharmaceuticals GekkoIndex: the smart money zone
Ligand Pharmaceuticals’s GekkoIndex — Gekko’s 0 to 100 smart money score — reads 43.6, in the Distribution zone, down 13.4 points over five sessions.
43.6Distribution
Down 13.4 points over five sessions, from the Neutral zone.
Reading for Sep 28, 2026
What followed past readings in each zone
| Zone | Readings | 5 days | 20 days | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buying | 2 | Too few readings yet | |||
| Accumulation | 163 | +2.5% | +8.5% | ||
| Neutral | 425 | +0.9% | +3.8% | ||
| Distribution (current zone) | 72 | −0.1% | +2.4% | ||
| Selling | 10 | +1.6% | −2.0% | ||
Average LGND share-price change over the trading days after each daily reading in its GekkoIndex history. Across every stock Gekko tracks, Distribution readings averaged +1.2% over 20 days. Past behaviour doesn’t guarantee future results.
Distribution zone: Institutions potentially offloading. About the five zones →
See every daily GekkoIndex reading plotted over the LGND price, zone by zone.Track LGND in Gekko
Is Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock overvalued? Gekko Fair Value
Ligand Pharmaceuticals trades 11.5% above Gekko Fair Value of $281.63, so the shares are overvalued on Gekko’s estimate.
Gekko’s own estimate of what Ligand Pharmaceuticals shares are worth, recalculated every trading day.
$281.63
Gekko Fair Value, Sep 26, 2026
11.5% Overvalued
Gekko Fair Value on every chart, with the gap to price updating daily.Open LGND in Gekko
Ligand Pharmaceuticals insider and Congress trading
No open-market insider purchases were filed for Ligand Pharmaceuticals, and no Congress trades were disclosed, in the last 90 days.
Plus buybacks, unusual options and fund positions, each dated to when it became public.
Congress trades last 90 days
No trades in LGND were disclosed by members of Congress in the last 90 days.
From congressional disclosures, which report amounts as ranges.
Congress disclosures for LGND, plotted on the chart in Gekko.Open LGND in Gekko
Buybacks
Ligand Pharmaceuticals has been buying back its own shares.
- Bought back, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
- $60.00M
- As a share of market cap
- 0.95%
From company filings.
Ligand Pharmaceuticals earnings: next date and track record
Ligand Pharmaceuticals reports on Nov 5, 2026 (37 days away), and beat the EPS estimate in 5 of its last 8 reports.
Next earnings report
Nov 5, 2026
37 days away
- EPS estimate
- $2.26
- Revenue estimate
- $77.95M
5 of 8reports beat the EPS estimate
±4.2%average move across the report
5 of 8reports followed by a gain
Share-price move across each report
Last earnings call, Aug 6, 2026 AI summary
- What they said
- Ligand reported Q2 2026 royalty revenue up 32% year-over-year with adjusted EPS growing 48%, reflecting broad-based portfolio growth. The company closed the XOMA Royalty acquisition post-quarter, adding 120+ commercial, clinical, and preclinical assets while nearly doubling its late-stage pipeline. A $700 million zero-coupon convertible offering was completed to fund growth initiatives. Management emphasizes the XOMA deal diversifies rather than concentrates risk, extending cash flows through 2040.
- Guidance
- XOMA acquisition expected to contribute ~$0.50 adjusted EPS in H2 2026 and ~$1.50 in 2027, with meaningful growth beyond that. Management maintains an active business development pipeline supported by the strengthened balance sheet.
| Reported | EPS | Revenue | Move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 6, 2026 | $2.37 est $2.01 | $63.69M est $61.30M | −3.1% |
| May 14, 2026 | $1.63 est $1.84 | $51.72M est $59.10M | −3.6% |
| Feb 26, 2026 | $2.02 est $1.46 | $59.67M est $55.59M | +3.6% |
| Nov 6, 2025 | $3.09 est $1.97 | $115.5M est $55.59M | +6.4% |
| Aug 7, 2025 | $1.60 est $1.42 | $47.63M est $43.87M | +5.4% |
| May 8, 2025 | $1.33 est $1.21 | $45.33M est $38.71M | −1.1% |
| Feb 27, 2025 | −$1.64 est $1.37 | $42.81M est $39.03M | +6.3% |
| Nov 7, 2024 | −$0.39 est $0.75 | $51.81M est $39.01M | +3.7% |
“Move” is the close of the first session after the report compared with the close of the last session before it, so it reads the same whether the company reported before the open or after the close.
Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock forecast and analyst price targets
Analysts’ average 12-month price target for Ligand Pharmaceuticals is $344.18, +9.6% from the last close, from 9 firms rating the stock in the last 90 days.
$344.18consensus 12-month target, +9.6% from the last close
Now $314.10Avg $344.18
Low $326High $397
Each firm’s latest rating in the last 90 days: 9 firms.
Latest analyst actions
| Date | Firm | Target | vs price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25 | Barclays | $345 | +9.8% |
| Sep 24 | Craig-Hallum | — | — |
| Sep 24 | H.C. Wainwright | $358 | +14.0% |
| Sep 23 | Citi | $397 | +26.4% |
| Sep 22 | Bank of America Securities | $388 | +23.5% |
+2.4%average 20-day move after past Distribution readings
+1.4%average move over the next 20 trading days in the last 5 years
±2.9%typical daily move, from the 14-day average range
Gekko doesn’t publish price predictions. These are analyst targets and historical base rates, which don’t guarantee future results.
Ligand Pharmaceuticals seasonality: the next 20 trading days
Over the next 20 trading days from Sep 29, Ligand Pharmaceuticals averaged +1.4% across the last 5 years, rising in 3 of them.
Next 20 trading days, by year
Average move and hit rate
| Window | Average | Years higher |
|---|---|---|
| Next 5 trading days | +2.9% | 3 of 5 |
| Next 10 trading days | +0.4% | 3 of 5 |
| Next 15 trading days | −0.4% | 3 of 5 |
| Next 20 trading days | +1.4% | 3 of 5 |
| Next 30 trading days | +22.0% | 4 of 5 |
For scale, LGND’s typical 20-trading-day move in either direction is about 7.2%.
Ligand Pharmaceuticals market cap and key statistics
Ligand Pharmaceuticals’s market cap is $6.29B, with a P/E ratio of 30.7 and revenue of $290.5M over the last twelve months.
Valuation
- Market cap
- $6.29B
- P/E ratio
- 30.7
- Forward P/E
- 24.8
- EPS, TTM
- $9.75
- Gekko Fair Value
- $281.63
Trading
- Volume
- 239,593
- Avg volume, 20 days
- 231,692
- 52-week high
- $326.63
- 52-week low
- $166.10
- Shares outstanding
- 19.94M
Financials
- Revenue, TTM
- $290.5M
- Profit margin
- 67.9%
- Return on equity
- 22%
- Quarterly earnings growth, YoY
- +825.0%
Risk and income
- Beta
- 0.98
- Typical daily move
- ±2.9%
- Typical 20-day move
- ±7.2%
Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock news this week
4 headlines about Ligand Pharmaceuticals from the past week, newest first, each linking to the publisher.
- Ligand Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - Ordinary Shares - Class B (LGND) Earnings, Actual EPS, EPS Estimates & ResultsStocktwits, Sep 26
- Ligand and AvenCell Therapeutics Enter Financing Agreement to Advance Pipeline of Next-Generation CAR-T Therapies for Up to $47 MillionGlobeNewsWire, Sep 24
- Sydnexis Announces Royalty Agreement with Ligand for Ryjunea®Business Wire, Sep 22
- Ligand Acquires Royalty and Milestone Interest in Santen's Ryjunea® from Sydnexis for $23 MillionGlobeNewsWire, Sep 22
Ligand Pharmaceuticals peers
Ligand Pharmaceuticals’s 6 largest industry peers by market value, with today’s move, GekkoIndex zone and gap to Gekko Fair Value.
| Stock | GekkoIndex zone | vs Fair Value |
|---|---|---|
| LLYEli Lilly | Neutral | 17.9% above |
| JNJJohnson & Johnson | Neutral | 0.5% above |
| ABBVAbbVie | Neutral | 23.3% above |
| MRKMerck | Neutral | 4.2% below |
| AZNAstraZeneca | Neutral | 39.9% below |
| PFEPfizer | Neutral | 4.0% below |
A peer links to its own page where one exists.
Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock FAQ
What is Ligand Pharmaceuticals’s market cap?
Ligand Pharmaceuticals’s market cap is $6.29B at the Sep 28, 2026 close of $314.10, with 19.94M shares outstanding. The shares trade on a P/E ratio of 30.7.
What is the Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock forecast?
The consensus analyst 12-month price target for Ligand Pharmaceuticals is $344.18, +9.6% from the last close. Of the 9 firms that rated the stock in the last 90 days, 9 rate it a buy, 0 a hold and 0 a sell. Gekko doesn’t publish price predictions of its own.
Is Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock overvalued or undervalued?
On Gekko’s estimate Ligand Pharmaceuticals is overvalued: the Sep 28, 2026 close of $314.10 is 11.5% above Gekko Fair Value of $281.63. Gekko Fair Value is recalculated every trading day, and a gap inside 5% either way counts as about fair value.
When does Ligand Pharmaceuticals report earnings next?
Ligand Pharmaceuticals is expected to report on Nov 5, 2026 (37 days away). Analysts expect earnings of $2.26 per share on revenue of $77.95M. Ligand Pharmaceuticals beat the earnings estimate in 5 of its last 8 reports, moving 4.2% on average across the report.
What is Ligand Pharmaceuticals’s 52-week high and low?
Ligand Pharmaceuticals’s 52-week high is $326.63 and its 52-week low is $166.10; it closed at $314.10 on Sep 28, 2026, +88.4% over the past year.
Is Ligand Pharmaceuticals stock a buy right now?
Gekko describes the data; it does not make buy or sell recommendations. On the swing-trade checklist, 3 of the 5 items with data read as supportive (trend, earnings risk and seasonality) and 2 as headwinds (gekkoindex and fair value). The checklist is a description of current data, not a recommendation.
How this page works
During US trading hours the price at the top of the page is a delayed quote, refreshed every 15 minutes; everything else is rebuilt after each US market close. The GekkoIndex, Gekko Fair Value and the checklist are Gekko’s own, and the Gekko Brief is written by AI from this page’s data and checked against it before it is published. How Gekko’s data works →
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