Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND)

Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,947 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 529 shares during the quarter. Jackson Creek Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Ligand Pharmaceuticals were worth $1,816,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Yousif Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 1.4% in 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 boosted 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 during the last quarter. Creative Planning grew its position in Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 2,896 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $290,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC increased its stake in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 5,297 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $568,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. 91.28% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LGND has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays upped their target price on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $135.00 price objective on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $141.00 to $143.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals from $135.00 to $147.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, HC Wainwright restated a “buy” rating on shares of Ligand Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Ligand Pharmaceuticals currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $147.00.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 0.5 %

NASDAQ LGND opened at $116.00 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.22 and a beta of 1.04. The company’s 50 day moving average is $114.23 and its 200-day moving average is $111.48. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has a 12-month low of $67.72 and a 12-month high of $129.90.

Insider Activity at Ligand Pharmaceuticals

In other 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 18,879 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 is available at the SEC website. 5.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.