Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Price Target Raised to $77.00

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) had its price objective boosted by equities researchers at Stifel Nicolaus from $73.00 to $77.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “hold” rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target indicates a potential downside of 5.06% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on IONS. HC Wainwright increased their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Bank of America upped their target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $86.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 price target on Ionis Pharmaceuticals and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $89.00 price objective (up from $85.00) on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, October 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ionis Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $88.15.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

NASDAQ:IONS traded up $0.18 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $81.11. 390,977 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,185,601. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $81.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $71.56. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a 52-week low of $23.95 and a 52-week high of $86.74. The company has a market cap of $13.14 billion, a P/E ratio of -48.01 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported ($1.41) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.23) by ($0.18). Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 26.45% and a negative return on equity of 44.26%. The firm had revenue of $203.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $156.07 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.66) EPS. The business’s revenue was down 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Ionis Pharmaceuticals will post -3.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Brett P. Monia sold 29,430 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.79, for a total value of $2,524,799.70. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 254,497 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,833,297.63. The trade was a 10.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Eugene Schneider sold 6,179 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.45, for a total transaction of $515,637.55. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 69,702 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,816,631.90. This trade represents a 8.14% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 464,579 shares of company stock worth $37,630,193. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 41.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 17,961,299 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,420,918,000 after purchasing an additional 5,238,571 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. boosted its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 253.3% during the 2nd quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 3,800,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $150,138,000 after acquiring an additional 2,724,400 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 19,941.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,321,345 shares of the company’s stock valued at $104,532,000 after acquiring an additional 1,314,752 shares during the period. Baker BROS. Advisors LP grew its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 216.1% in the 4th quarter. Baker BROS. Advisors LP now owns 1,791,841 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,753,000 after acquiring an additional 1,225,043 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 7,219.3% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 958,829 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,727,000 after purchasing an additional 945,729 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.86% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Ionis Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 revenue topped estimates ($203M reported vs. ~ $156M expected), a key upside surprise that supports near‑term sales visibility. Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS) Reports Q4 Loss, Tops Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted/operational loss came in better than some Street estimates (adjusted loss ~ $1.15–$1.15 range reported by outlets), and management cited strong growth from the company’s lead drug — a product-level driver investors favor. Ionis Guides Below 2026 Sales Views Despite Strong Growth From Lead Drug
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings materials and the full earnings‑call transcript/slide deck are available for deeper read (useful for modeling revenue cadence and R&D cadence). Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (IONS) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2025 Q4 – Results – Earnings Call Presentation
• Negative Sentiment: FY‑2026 revenue guidance was cut to $800–$825M, materially below the consensus (~$895.6M). That guide reduction is the primary near‑term negative catalyst and compresses forward revenue expectations. Ionis Guides Below 2026 Sales Views Despite Strong Growth From Lead Drug
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP/quarterly EPS showed a year‑over‑year deterioration (loss deeper than prior year) and some outlets report the company missed certain EPS consensus figures — a headwind for valuation until guidance clarity improves. Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS) Reports Q4 Earnings: What Key Metrics Have to Say
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue was down ~10.6% year‑over‑year in the quarter, highlighting near‑term top‑line pressures despite product growth. Ionis Pharmaceuticals: Q4 Earnings Snapshot

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Company 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.