How Much Are Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND) Insiders Taking Off The Table?

We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. On the other hand, we'd be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:LGND).

Do Insider Transactions Matter?

Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock in the company. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market.

We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But equally, we would consider it foolish to ignore insider transactions altogether. For example, a Columbia University study found that 'insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own company’s stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers'.

View our latest analysis for Ligand Pharmaceuticals

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Insider Transactions Over The Last Year

The Senior VP, Charles Berkman, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$1.3m worth of shares at a price of US$119 each. While insider selling is a negative, to us, it is more negative if the shares are sold at a lower price. The silver lining is that this sell-down took place above the latest price (US$98.28). So it may not tell us anything about how insiders feel about the current share price. Charles Berkman was the only individual insider to sell over the last year.

You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date!

I will like Ligand Pharmaceuticals better if I see some big insider buys. While we wait, check out this free list of growing companies with considerable, recent, insider buying.

Insider Ownership of Ligand Pharmaceuticals

I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Ligand Pharmaceuticals insiders own about US$65m worth of shares. That equates to 4.1% of the company. This level of insider ownership is good but just short of being particularly stand-out. It certainly does suggest a reasonable degree of alignment.

So What Does This Data Suggest About Ligand Pharmaceuticals Insiders?

The fact that there have been no Ligand Pharmaceuticals insider transactions recently certainly doesn't bother us. Our analysis of Ligand Pharmaceuticals insider transactions leaves us cautious. The modest level of insider ownership is, at least, some comfort. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Ligand Pharmaceuticals. To that end, you should learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Ligand Pharmaceuticals (including 1 which is concerning).

Of course Ligand Pharmaceuticals may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of high quality companies.

For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions.

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