LGND vs. CPRX

Last updated Jun 3, 2026

LGND (Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated) and CPRX (Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) are both stocks. Both operate in the Biotechnology industry within the Healthcare sector. Over the past 10 years, LGND returned 7.02%/yr vs 48.23%/yr for CPRX. At a 0.23 correlation, their price movements are largely independent.

Performance

LGND vs. CPRX - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (LGND) and Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (CPRX). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, LGND achieves a 23.11% return, which is significantly lower than CPRX's 33.98% return. Over the past 10 years, LGND has underperformed CPRX with an annualized return of 7.02%, while CPRX has yielded a comparatively higher 48.23% annualized return.

LGND

• 1D: 1.30%
• 1M: 2.34%
• YTD: 23.11%
• 6M: 19.30%
• 1Y: 129.00%
• 3Y*: 45.66%
• 5Y*: 15.54%
• 10Y*: 7.02%

CPRX

• 1D: 0.00%
• 1M: 8.80%
• YTD: 33.98%
• 6M: 38.24%
• 1Y: 25.58%
• 3Y*: 39.37%
• 5Y*: 41.56%
• 10Y*: 48.23%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

LGND vs. CPRX - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
LGND Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated	23.11%	76.45%	50.03%	6.92%	-56.75%	55.31%	-4.64%	-23.15%	-0.90%	34.76%
CPRX Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc.	33.98%	11.84%	24.15%	-9.62%	174.74%	102.69%	-10.93%	95.31%	-50.90%	272.38%

Correlation

The correlation between LGND and CPRX is 0.34, which is low. Their price movements are largely independent, making them effective diversification partners.

	Correlation
Correlation (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.34
Correlation (3Y) Calculated over the trailing 3-year period	0.39
Correlation (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.43
Correlation (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.34
Correlation (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history since Nov 9, 2006	0.23

The correlation between LGND and CPRX shifts across timeframes, from 0.23 (all time) to 0.43 (5 years), reflecting how their relationship changes across market environments.

Fundamentals

Market Cap LGND : $4.63B CPRX : $3.97B
EPS LGND : $7.57 CPRX : $1.74
PE Ratio LGND : 30.74 CPRX : 17.97
PEG Ratio LGND : 0.26 CPRX : 0.32
PS Ratio LGND : 17.20 CPRX : 6.66
PB Ratio LGND : 4.64 CPRX : 3.92
Total Revenue (TTM) LGND : $274.48M CPRX : $596.96M
Gross Profit (TTM) LGND : $221.02M CPRX : $378.23M
EBITDA (TTM) LGND : $253.90M CPRX : $313.50M

Return for Risk

LGND vs. CPRX — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

LGND

LGND Risk / Return Rank: 95
LGND Sharpe Ratio Rank: 96
LGND Sortino Ratio Rank: 94
LGND Omega Ratio Rank: 93
LGND Calmar Ratio Rank: 97
LGND Martin Ratio Rank: 96

CPRX

CPRX Risk / Return Rank: 60
CPRX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 64
CPRX Sortino Ratio Rank: 59
CPRX Omega Ratio Rank: 59
CPRX Calmar Ratio Rank: 60
CPRX Martin Ratio Rank: 57

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

LGND vs. CPRX - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (LGND) and Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (CPRX). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	LGND	CPRX	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	3.53	0.76	+2.77
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	3.92	1.25	+2.67
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.52	1.16	+0.36
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	9.08	0.93	+8.16
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	22.93	1.69	+21.24
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

LGND vs. CPRX - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current LGND Sharpe Ratio is 3.53, which is higher than the CPRX Sharpe Ratio of 0.76. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of LGND and CPRX, calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months. A higher Sharpe Ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance relative to the risk-free rate.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	LGND	CPRX	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	3.53	0.76	+2.77
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.35	0.87	-0.52
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.16	0.80	-0.64
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.11	0.09	+0.02

Drawdowns

LGND vs. CPRX - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum LGND drawdown since its inception was -93.34%, roughly equal to the maximum CPRX drawdown of -94.25%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for LGND and CPRX.

Drawdown Indicators

	LGND	CPRX	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-93.34%	-94.25%	+0.91%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-14.07%	-27.29%	+13.22%
Max Drawdown (3Y) Largest decline over 3 years	-37.25%	-27.29%	-9.96%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-70.11%	-45.37%	-24.74%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-81.94%	-64.87%	-17.07%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-15.20%	-0.19%	-15.01%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-44.58%	-52.06%	+7.48%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	5.57%	14.95%	-9.38%

Volatility

LGND vs. CPRX - Volatility Comparison

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (LGND) has a higher volatility of 14.21% compared to Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (CPRX) at 6.81%. This indicates that LGND's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than CPRX based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	LGND	CPRX	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	14.21%	6.81%	+7.40%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	28.00%	23.82%	+4.18%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	36.73%	33.60%	+3.13%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	44.07%	47.86%	-3.79%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	45.39%	60.62%	-15.23%

Dividends

LGND vs. CPRX - Dividend Comparison

Neither LGND nor CPRX has paid dividends to shareholders.

Tickers have no history of dividend payments

Financials

LGND vs. CPRX - Profitability Comparison

The chart below illustrates the profitability comparison between Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated and Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. over time, highlighting three key metrics: Gross Profit Margin, Operating Margin, and Net Profit Margin.

LGND - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated reported a gross profit of 0.00 and revenue of 51.72M. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 0.0%.

CPRX - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. reported a gross profit of 0.00 and revenue of 149.39M. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 0.0%.

LGND - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated reported an operating income of 17.37M and revenue of 51.72M, resulting in an operating margin of 33.6%.

CPRX - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. reported an operating income of 73.23M and revenue of 149.39M, resulting in an operating margin of 49.0%.

LGND - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated reported a net income of -13.35M and revenue of 51.72M, resulting in a net margin of -25.8%.

CPRX - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. reported a net income of 63.73M and revenue of 149.39M, resulting in a net margin of 42.7%.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hold both LGND and CPRX in my portfolio?

LGND and CPRX have a correlation of 0.34, meaning they provide meaningful diversification benefit when combined. Depending on your allocation goals, holding both could reduce overall portfolio risk.

Which is riskier, LGND or CPRX?

LGND has higher volatility (14.21%) compared to CPRX (6.81%). In terms of maximum drawdown, LGND dropped -93.34% vs CPRX's -94.25%.

Which has better risk-adjusted returns?

LGND currently has the higher Sharpe Ratio (3.53 vs 0.76), meaning it's delivered slightly more return per unit of risk over the trailing 12 months. However, this ranking shifts over time - use the Risk/Return Score above for a more comprehensive view that combines Sharpe, Sortino, and other measures used by quantitative funds.