Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday. Leerink Partners raised their price target on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $85.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 price objective on Ionis Pharmaceuticals and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $82.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $95.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $88.80.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

NASDAQ IONS opened at $81.15 on Friday. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a one year low of $23.95 and a one year high of $86.74. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $81.33 and a 200 day moving average of $72.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.76, a quick ratio of 3.81 and a current ratio of 3.83. The company has a market capitalization of $13.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -33.26 and a beta of 0.31.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported ($1.41) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.23) by ($0.18). Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 40.36% and a negative return on equity of 68.82%. The company had revenue of $203.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $156.07 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.66) EPS. Ionis Pharmaceuticals’s revenue was down 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Ionis Pharmaceuticals will post -3.5 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Ionis Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP Shannon L. Devers sold 44,199 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.08, for a total value of $3,760,450.92. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 17,494 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,488,389.52. This represents a 71.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Elizabeth L. Hougen sold 12,922 shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.22, for a total transaction of $971,992.84. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 126,307 shares in the company, valued at $9,500,812.54. This represents a 9.28% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 436,579 shares of company stock worth $35,367,233 in the last quarter. 2.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ionis Pharmaceuticals

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 198.4% during the 3rd quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 376 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. bought a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP boosted its stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 231.8% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 740 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 517 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.86% of the company’s stock.

Key Ionis Pharmaceuticals News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler raised its price target to $100 and moved to an “overweight” rating, signaling ~23% upside from current levels — a clear buy-side endorsement. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Needham lifted its price target to $103 from $90, another analyst upgrade supporting the rally and reflecting greater confidence in revenue trajectory. Needham Lifts PT on Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS) to $103 From $90
• Positive Sentiment: Updates to Tryngolza outlook are materially positive: recent analysis lifts peak revenue estimates (several sources cite >$2B for Tryngolza and company-level peak revenue/royalty/milestone potential in the multi‑billion range), and management guides to cash-flow breakeven by 2028 — bullish for long-term value. Ionis Pharmaceuticals: Digesting Recent Events
• Neutral Sentiment: Company presented at Oppenheimer’s healthcare conference; slides/transcript provide additional visibility into pipeline progress and commercialization strategy but are informational rather than catalytic. IONS Presents at Oppenheimer Conference Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: General earnings call coverage/recaps are available for detail on management commentary and guidance; useful for modeling but not single-handedly market-moving. Q4 2025 Earnings Call Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results were mixed: revenue and Tryngolza sales beat expectations, but EPS missed estimates and management gave a softer 2026 outlook, which pressured the stock in after-hours/early trade. Ionis Q4 Earnings & Sales Beat, Stock Down on Soft 2026 Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage noted the EPS miss led to a gap-down reaction in some sessions; near-term uptake for new drugs and the FY2026 revenue cadence remain the main risk factors to watch. Shares Gap Down on Disappointing Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Stifel raised its target modestly to $77 but kept a “hold” rating — the lower relative PT signals at least one shop sees limited near-term upside. Article Title

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.