Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) CEO Brett Monia Sells 14,565 Shares of Stock

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) CEO Brett Monia sold 14,565 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.41, for a total value of $1,142,041.65. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 245,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,255,222.11. The trade was a 5.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of IONS opened at $81.18 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 4.10, a quick ratio of 4.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75. The firm has a market cap of $13.42 billion, a PE ratio of -39.22 and a beta of 0.37. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $39.37 and a 12 month high of $86.74. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $75.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $77.36.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported ($0.56) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.85) by $0.29. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 58.65% and a negative net margin of 30.91%.The firm had revenue of $246.09 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $195.56 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.93) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 86.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -3.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on IONS shares. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $95.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Canaccord Genuity Group assumed coverage on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, April 20th. They set a “buy” rating and a $110.00 target price on the stock. Raymond James Financial initiated coverage on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, April 10th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $104.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.90.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 41.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 17,961,299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,420,918,000 after acquiring an additional 5,238,571 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,148,849 shares of the company’s stock worth $249,158,000 after acquiring an additional 82,560 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,987,840 shares of the company’s stock worth $236,370,000 after acquiring an additional 258,155 shares during the period. Tweedy Browne Co LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 0.3% during the third quarter. Tweedy Browne Co LLC now owns 2,901,216 shares of the company’s stock worth $189,798,000 after purchasing an additional 9,268 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baker BROS. Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 216.1% during the fourth quarter. Baker BROS. Advisors LP now owns 1,791,841 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,753,000 after purchasing an additional 1,225,043 shares during the last quarter. 93.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Ionis received FDA approval expanding TRYNGOLZA to treat severe hypertriglyceridemia, strengthening the drug’s commercial opportunity and making it the first approved therapy for the condition. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Ionis announced a licensing deal with Recordati for ex-U.S. rights to zilganersen in Alexander disease, which provides upfront and royalty potential while allowing Ionis to keep U.S. commercialization rights. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Leerink Partners raised its price target on Ionis, signaling continued analyst confidence in the company’s pipeline and commercial execution. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: HC Wainwright kept a Buy rating but lowered some 2027 EPS estimates, which is a mild headwind but not a major shift in the firm’s overall view. 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.