Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXEL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXEL) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $26.29.

A number of analysts have commented on EXEL shares. TheStreet raised Exelixis from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a report on Monday, March 18th. Barclays downgraded Exelixis from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $25.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Thursday, April 11th. JMP Securities restated a “market outperform” rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of Exelixis in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Exelixis from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Exelixis from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd.

Exelixis Stock Performance

Shares of EXEL stock opened at $23.73 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 0.54. Exelixis has a one year low of $18.21 and a one year high of $24.34. The company’s 50-day moving average is $22.86 and its 200 day moving average is $22.21.

Exelixis (NASDAQ:EXEL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The biotechnology company reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $479.65 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $481.23 million. Exelixis had a net margin of 11.35% and a return on equity of 8.57%. As a group, research analysts predict that Exelixis will post 1.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Exelixis

In related news, Director David Edward Johnson bought 190,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were bought at an average cost of $20.70 per share, for a total transaction of $3,933,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 1,100,730 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,785,111. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Patrick J. Haley sold 47,020 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.45, for a total value of $1,008,579.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 384,866 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,255,375.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director David Edward Johnson acquired 190,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 21st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $20.70 per share, for a total transaction of $3,933,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 1,100,730 shares in the company, valued at $22,785,111. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.85% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Exelixis

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Exelixis by 4.1% in the first quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 128,033 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $3,038,000 after acquiring an additional 5,037 shares in the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Exelixis by 62.1% in the 1st quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 58,299 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $1,383,000 after purchasing an additional 22,324 shares in the last quarter. Milestone Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Exelixis in the 1st quarter worth approximately $641,000. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. bought a new position in Exelixis in the 1st quarter worth approximately $250,000. Finally, Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Exelixis by 10.3% during the 1st quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 69,641 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $1,653,000 after buying an additional 6,490 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.27% of the company’s stock.

Exelixis Company Profile

Exelixis, Inc, an oncology company, focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of new medicines for difficult-to-treat cancers in the United States. The company offers CABOMETYX tablets for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma who received prior anti-angiogenic therapy; and COMETRIQ capsules for the treatment of progressive and metastatic medullary thyroid cancer.