Stock fact sheet · data as of
Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (LGND): fair value, margin of safety and Wheel Score
Healthcare · Biotechnology · United States · High Growth
Is LGND undervalued?
Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (LGND) closed at 298.50 on 16 Oct 2026, 44% above the GLS average fair value of 207.62. 6 of the 8 models that produced a number value the shares below the current price. A gap this wide usually means the market is paying for growth or a story the trailing numbers do not show yet; the models work from filed results, not forecasts, so they are conservative by design.
There is a wide gap between DCF (38.69) and Graham Growth (463.26). When the models are this far apart the "fair value" is really a range, and the margin of safety above should be read with that range in mind.
The nightly engine files LGND under High Growth: revenue and earnings growing fast enough that the growth-based models carry the valuation.
Nine valuation models for LGND
Each model turns the latest filed numbers into a value per share; the GLS fair value is the simple average of the ones that produce a positive number. The last two rows are shown for reference and never enter the average. The Quote page lets you switch any model off and add your own margin of safety.
| Model | Value | vs price | What it measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCF | 38.69 | -87% | Present value of the projected free cash flows, discounted at the cost of capital |
| Graham Number | 103.28 | -65% | The most a defensive investor pays for the earnings and book value per share |
| Graham Growth | 463.26 | +55% | Graham's growth formula: EPS × (8.5 + 2 × growth), adjusted for bond yields |
| Lynch | 195.12 | -35% | EPS × the earnings growth rate (PEG of 1), growth capped at 25% |
| GLS Growth | 360.16 | +21% | EPS compounded ten years at the blended growth rate, discounted back at 15% a year |
| 10 Cap | 171.65 | -42% | Owner's earnings (operating cash flow less maintenance capex) capitalised at 10% |
| Payback Time | 219.57 | -26% | Eight years of compounded free cash flow: the price at which the business pays for itself |
| DDM | - | - | Dividend discount model: next year's dividend ÷ (10% − 3% growth); needs a dividend; no value tonight |
| EPV | 109.22 | -63% | Earnings power value: current EPS capitalised at 9% with no growth |
| Zombie (liquidation) | 14.49 | -95% | Current assets less all liabilities, per share: the balance-sheet floor. Not in the average |
| Wall St target | 339.43 | +14% | Analysts' average 12-month price target. Not in the average |
Quality and financial health
Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated scores 5 of 9 on the Piotroski F-score: a middling result that falls one point short of the Sunday Scan's "6 or more" rule. Some of the nine tests on profitability, leverage and efficiency are failed, so the accounts are worth a look before selling a put on the name. A GLS Moat score of 1.7/10 is a weak reading: the ten-year history the score grades (revenue, EPS, book value, margins, cash flow, share count, ROIC) has not been steady, so the Moat part of the Wheel Score contributes little.
Returns on capital are moderate - ROIC 8.5%, ROE 12.2%, ROA 8.0% - with debt at 0.44 times equity and a free-cash-flow yield of 2.2%.
Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated pays no dividend, so the DDM model does not apply and a covered-call holder earns only the premium and any price gain. Revenue comes mainly from Royalty 41%, Intangible Royalty Assets 32%, Financial Royalty Assets 9% (quarter Q2 FY2026).
Institutional ownership scores 10/10, insider activity 1/10 and Congressional trading 10/10 on the GLS smart-money scales.
| Piotroski F-score | 5 / 9 | ROIC | 8.5% |
|---|---|---|---|
| GLS Moat | 1.7 / 10 | ROE | 12.2% |
| Debt / equity | 0.44 | ROA | 8.0% |
| Free-cash-flow yield | 2.2% | Payout ratio | 0% |
| Institutions | 10 / 10 | Insiders · Congress | 1 · 10 / 10 |
Wheel Score 48: Weak
With a Wheel Score of 48 Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated sits in the Weak band. The parts - Value 0/25, Health 11/20, Moat 3/15, Premium 20/20, Stability 14/20 - show where: Value (0/25) scores lowest.
Implied volatility is 42% on the near-the-money contracts 20-60 days out - inside the 35-60% range the Wheel Score pays full marks for: enough premium to be worth selling, not so much that the risk is unpaid. Chain open interest is thin - 1,062 contracts across every expiry - so fills at a fair price are not guaranteed; a 30-45-day put may not exist at a usable strike.
Volume runs at 332k shares a day on a market cap of $6.0B, with a beta of 1.01; the Stability part of the Wheel Score gives that 14 of 20.
| Part | Points | From | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | 0 / 25 | -44% margin of safety | |
| Health | 11 / 20 | Piotroski 5/9 | |
| Moat | 3 / 15 | moat 1.7/10 | |
| Premium | 20 / 20 | implied volatility 42% | |
| Stability | 14 / 20 | 332k shares/day, $6.0B cap, beta 1.01 |
The Wheel Score ranks ~7,400 US stocks for selling cash-secured puts and covered calls; it is updated nightly and is not a recommendation. The walkthrough lesson shows how the score fits into a trade, start to finish.
Upcoming events
The next earnings report is due on 5 Nov 2026 (before the open), 20 days away; a 30-45-day put sold today would expire after it, which is worth weighing against the premium.
Earnings, dividend, IPO, split and economic calendars for the whole market, filterable to your watchlists.
Similar stocks in Biotechnology
The 12 companies below are the closest to Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated by market cap within the Biotechnology industry, each with its own fact sheet; the Compare page puts up to eight of them side by side.
| Stock | Close | Fair value | MoS | Wheel | Mkt cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RYTM Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 86.71 | - | - | 45Weak | $6.0B |
| BLTE Belite Bio, Inc | 152.62 | 10.53 | -1349% | 21No options | $6.1B |
| IMVT Immunovant, Inc. | 27.51 | 4.93 | -458% | 42Weak | $5.7B |
| KOD Kodiak Sciences Inc. | 88.12 | 0.7408 | -11795% | 32Weak | $5.5B |
| CGON CG Oncology Inc. | 61.86 | - | - | 45Weak | $5.5B |
| MIRM Mirum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 82.39 | - | - | 45Weak | $5.3B |
| IOVA Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc. | 14.72 | 3.82 | -286% | 39Weak | $6.7B |
| PRAX Praxis Precision Medicines, Inc. | 239.02 | 14.95 | -1499% | 32Weak | $6.7B |
| ABVX Abivax S.A. | 92.38 | 7.19 | -1184% | 44Weak | $6.8B |
| ERAS Erasca, Inc. | 14.87 | 0.0990 | -14917% | 32Weak | $5.2B |
| COGT Cogent Biosciences, Inc. | 29.51 | 0.3102 | -9415% | 41Weak | $5.1B |
| TVTX Travere Therapeutics, Inc. | 53.27 | 13.88 | -284% | 45Weak | $5.0B |
Screen the whole market the same way
A free GLS Equity account gets you nightly fair value and the Wheel Score on ~7,400 US stocks, a watchlist, the scanner preview and the Sunday Scan - the same eight-rule screen, emailed every week. Pro adds the full put and call scanners, unlimited watchlists with alerts and the trade journal.
Start free See the Sunday ScanQuestions about LGND
Is LGND undervalued right now?
No: at 298.50 the stock trades 44% above the GLS average fair value of 207.62 (data as of 16 Oct 2026), well beyond what trailing earnings, cash flow and book value support.
What is the Wheel Score of LGND and what does it mean?
LGND scores 48 out of 100 (Weak). The Wheel Score blends the margin of safety (25 points), Piotroski health (20), the GLS moat (15), the option premium on offer (20) and trading stability (20) into one number that ranks stocks for the wheel strategy - selling cash-secured puts, then covered calls if assigned. 80 and above is Prime, 65-79 Good, 50-64 Fair, under 50 Weak.
What is the GLS fair value for LGND?
207.62 per share as of 16 Oct 2026 - the simple average of the 8 valuation models (out of nine: DCF, Graham Number, Graham Growth, Lynch, GLS Growth, 10 Cap, Payback Time, DDM and EPV) that produced a positive value. The models run every night on the latest filings; the Quote page lets you switch any of them off and add a margin of safety of your own.
When does Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated report earnings next?
The next earnings report is due on 5 Nov 2026 (before the open), 20 days from the data date of 16 Oct 2026. The Calendars page lists every upcoming report with its time of day.
Does LGND have listed options, and how liquid are they?
Yes. The nightly snapshot found 604 listed contracts with 1,062 open interest across all expiries and implied volatility of 42% on the near-the-money contracts. The Options scanner lists the cash-secured put and covered call set-ups with premium and annualised yield worked out.