LGND
BuyPremium GrowerAI neutralLigand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated · Healthcare · United States · $6.1B cap · $78.2M/day traded
$303.53 -1.4% · close 23 Oct · scored 24 Oct
Premium Grower: Strong business with the market behind it, priced at a premium.
Report expected 5 Nov: the next-year EPS estimate has risen 3.1% over the last 14 weeks.
As of 24 Oct 2026, MoatMap's StockRank for Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (LGND) is 71/100, ranked against 24,000+ stocks in 35 markets (Quality 64, Value 23, Momentum 79, each scored against its sector).
Does StockRank work? Each month we publish how every decile did, whichever way it went. See the record →
Ligand is a royalty aggregator that earns high-margin royalties on drugs developed by partners and keeps buying new royalty streams, such as its recent $23 million purchase tied to Santen's Ryjunea. It is an asset-light model with strong momentum. Much of that momentum appears reflected in the valuation, however, and the value of the portfolio depends on clinical and commercial outcomes that Ligand does not control. Insiders sold 0.28% of shares outstanding over 90 days.
ABOUT LIGAND PHARMACEUTICALS INCORPORATED
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Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated operates a unique royalty-based business model, focusing on developing and licensing proprietary drug discovery and development platforms to pharmaceutical partners. Its primary competitive moat is built around its patented Captisol® technology, which significantly enhances drug solubility and stability, making it a crucial component in numerous approved and pipeline drug products. This intellectual property-centric approach generates revenue through royalties on partners' sales rather than costly direct drug development.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY (USD)
| Year | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | CAGR | TTM | 2026E | 2027E | Fwd CAGR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 196.2M | 131.3M | 167.1M | 268.1M | 11.0% | 290.5M | 288.9M | 381.7M | 19.3% |
| EPS | -1.98 | 3.02 | -0.22 | 6.44 | 46.0% | 9.49 | 7.40 | 9.47 | 21.3% |
| Shares | 17.0M | 17.6M | 19.1M | 19.8M | +16.7% | 19.9M | — | — | — |
| Debt | 87.7M | 6.2M | 7.1M | 451.5M | 72.6% | 1.1B | — | — | — |
| Equity | 597.5M | 700.9M | 830.4M | 1.0B | 19.4% | — | — | — | — |
| Op CF | 137.8M | 49.6M | 97.0M | 49.4M | -29.0% | 131.7M | — | — | — |
| Inv CF | 163.6M | -11.7M | -143.7M | -377.3M | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fin CF | -276.0M | -59.9M | 97.1M | 428.2M | — | — | — | — | — |
Above its 200-day average and 7% below its 52-week high.
Calmer than 59% of stocks we rank over the past year (37% a year).
How this is worked out
StockRank judges the business. The price check reads only the chart: it is the price side of the Momentum score, in words.
The rules: Still falling is a new 52-week low in the last two weeks, at least 25% below the high. Finding a floor is no new low since. Turning up is 20 or more trading days without a new low, at least 10% off it, and back above a rising 50-day average. In an uptrend is above the 200-day average and within 15% of the high.
In 2,112 US drawdowns since 2001, buying while the price was still falling was followed by a further 20% drop 42% of the time. Waiting for a turn like this one cut that to 33%, at about 7% higher prices and with no better returns. Part of that cut is simply not buying: 13% of falls never turned, and waiting kept those out. Among turns that were bought, 38% still fell another 20%, and 33% of turns were followed by a new low within six months. The benefit was largest in crashes such as 2008 and 2020.
What it measures: day-to-day price moves over the past year, as a yearly figure, ranked against every stock we cover. Very calm under 20% a year, Calm 20 to 30%, Average 30 to 40%, Bumpy 40 to 55%, Very bumpy above that.
What we found: across about 13,500 stocks in 34 markets (2002 to 2025), past swings were a good guide to the next year's, and bumpier stocks fell further. How much further changed too much between eras to put a number on it.
Calm is not safe: a calm stock can still slide steadily.
Rules fixed before any data was fetched. Describes the chart, not a recommendation.
SCORE BREAKDOWN
FUNDAMENTALS
SECTOR PEERS
Closest peers in Healthcare, ranked by industry match, size, and score similarity. Cross-listings of LGND are excluded.
| Ticker | Company | Mkt Cap | StockRank | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LGND | Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated(you) | $6.1B | 71 | Buy |
| CAI | Caris Life Sciences, Inc. | $9.0B | 68 | Buy |
| CORT | Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated | $9.3B | 67 | Buy |
| KRYS | Krystal Biotech, Inc. | $9.2B | 67 | Buy |
| PTGX | Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. | $9.0B | 66 | Buy |
| TECH | Bio-Techne Corporation | $11.4B | 73 | Buy |
| ACAD | Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. | $3.4B | 79 | Buy |
| ADMA | ADMA Biologics, Inc. | $2.4B | 77 | Buy |
| BMRN | BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. | $10.8B | 57 | Hold |
| ARQT | Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc. | $3.9B | 53 | Hold |
Peer medians: ROE -31.5% · P/E 27.3x · Gross margin 62.6%
Company Deep Dive
Business segments breakdown, earnings transcript analysis, management credibility scoring, competitive landscape, and scenario modelling.