The takeaway
Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated shows a moderate seasonal pattern over 10 years of data — strongest in June (+5.8%) and softest in May (−1.3%).
Right now
In July, the stock has risen 70% of years, averaging +2.1% — essentially in line with the S&P 500.
The full picture
Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated's most dependable month has been June, higher in 9 of 10 years; May has been its least reliable, up just 30% of the time.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win rate % | ||||||||||||
| Median return % | ||||||||||||
| 2025 | ||||||||||||
| 2024 | ||||||||||||
| 2023 | ||||||||||||
| 2022 | ||||||||||||
| 2021 | ||||||||||||
| 2020 | ||||||||||||
| 2019 | ||||||||||||
| 2018 | ||||||||||||
| 2017 | ||||||||||||
| 2016 |
Month by month
The stock's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in January (+6.6 pts); it has trailed the market most in October (−4.5 pts).
“vs S&P” is Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, June has closed higher 80% of the time versus 90% across the last 10 years — the pattern is holding.
Figures are the typical (median) June return and how often it rose — the last 5 years versus the last 10(the heatmap’s default window). This verdict stays anchored to that 10-year window even if you zoom the chart, so it never disagrees with the badges above.
In plain English
Strip the year back and a single month does the heavy lifting: June, up in 9 of 10 Junes while the other eleven tend to blur together.
Its average (+5.8%) and median (+4.5%) land within a hair of each other — the tell of steady, year-after-year gains rather than one outlier doing the work. It is also the calendar's calmest month, its returns swinging least from year to year (a 5.6% spread), and even its worst June in 10 years lost only 4.2% — the gentlest downside anywhere on its calendar. Crucially, the gain is the stock's own rather than a rising tide's: June has cleared the S&P 500 by +5.6 points above the index. That consistency sets it apart from the field, where the average stock manages June only about 52% of the time.
The strength clusters rather than stands alone — June–August forms a firm stretch that carries much of the year. On the other side of the ledger, May has been the soft spot — the weakest of 4 months that average a loss (−1.3%), and the edge isn't year-round — the stock has trailed the S&P 500 in October, February, and May. Its roughest month on record was a −39.4% October in 2018 — a reminder of how hard even a seasonal name can fall.
At its steadiest, June strung together 8 straight positive years. Reassuringly, the tendency has held its shape: the recent five years still track the years behind them.
The takeaway is less about when to buy than what to expect: June aside, the stock's months offer little reliable tilt. With returns that swing hard year to year, the signal is best held loosely.
Short answers on the stock's best month (June), its worst (May), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a moderate degree. Since 2016 its best month (June, +5.8%) has run well ahead of its worst (May, −1.3%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
June has been the strongest, averaging +5.8% and closing higher in 9 of 10 years since 2016.
It's the weakest, averaging −1.3% — historically a soft spot, though it still varies from year to year.
Explore
These names have the strongest July track records on record — a starting point for comparison.
Before you trade