Carmignac Gestion Has $25.45 Million Stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $IONS

Carmignac Gestion lifted its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) by 505.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 321,000 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 268,000 shares during the quarter. Carmignac Gestion owned approximately 0.19% of Ionis Pharmaceuticals worth $25,452,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Nykredit A S acquired a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter worth $488,000. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 7.6% during the 2nd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 4,084 shares of the company’s stock worth $324,000 after buying an additional 287 shares in the last quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,062,000. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 8,029.6% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 14,347,446 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,137,609,000 after acquiring an additional 14,170,961 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaGrep UK Ltd acquired a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at about $234,000. 93.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 2.4%

Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock traded down $1.38 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $56.71. 9,175,268 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,460,345. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.39 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07, a quick ratio of 7.73 and a current ratio of 7.89. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $50.01 and a fifty-two week high of $86.74. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $60.80 and its 200-day moving average is $70.32.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ionis Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP C. Bennett sold 5,536 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.58, for a total value of $462,698.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 75,018 shares in the company, valued at $6,270,004.44. This represents a 6.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Allene Diaz sold 10,111 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.42, for a total transaction of $863,681.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $325,535.62. The trade was a 72.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 225,163 shares of company stock valued at $17,711,191 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.81% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

IONS has been the topic of a number of research reports. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $86.00 price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday. Wolfe Research restated a “peer perform” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $110.00 to $104.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $115.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.50.

Key Headlines Impacting Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Here are the key news stories impacting Ionis Pharmaceuticals this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts maintain bullish ratings: HC Wainwright lowered its price target from $115 to $100 but retained a “buy” rating. Canaccord Genuity also cut its target from $95 to $85 while maintaining a “buy” rating. The revised targets still imply substantial upside, signaling that analysts view the selloff as potentially excessive. Benzinga analyst price target reports
• Neutral Sentiment: ZANVASTRO launch plans remain a potential catalyst: Ionis discussed the FDA approval and commercialization strategy for ZANVASTRO in Alexander disease. The program could provide a future growth opportunity, although investors are likely focused more immediately on the pelacarsen setback. Ionis discusses ZANVASTRO approval and launch strategy
• Negative Sentiment: Pelacarsen failed its Phase 3 primary endpoint: The cardiovascular outcomes study, conducted with partner Novartis, failed to show that pelacarsen reduced cardiovascular events. The result clouds the drug’s commercial prospects and removes a potentially significant value driver for Ionis, prompting the sharp decline in the shares. Ionis shares fall after pelacarsen trial misses endpoint
• Negative Sentiment: Broader biotech and market pressure added to the selling: Novartis’ sharp decline following the pelacarsen failure affected its biotech partners, including Ionis. Lower U.S. stock futures and concern about other cardiovascular drug programs, including Amgen’s olpasiran, further weakened sentiment across the sector. Novartis trial failures ripple across biotech partners

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Profile

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of RNA-targeted therapies designed to modulate gene expression. The company’s proprietary antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) technology enables the selective binding of short synthetic strands of nucleic acids to messenger RNA (mRNA), thereby inhibiting or altering the production of disease-causing proteins. Ionis’ pipeline spans a range of therapeutic areas, including neurological disorders, cardiovascular conditions, metabolic diseases and rare genetic disorders.

Since its founding in 1989 by Dr.