Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Price Target Raised to $105.00

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) had its target price raised by Needham & Company LLC from $103.00 to $105.00 in a research report released on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the stock.

IONS has been the topic of several other research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $82.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $90.15.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 2.8%

Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $72.15 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.92 billion, a PE ratio of -29.57 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.76, a quick ratio of 3.81 and a current ratio of 3.83. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a fifty-two week low of $23.95 and a fifty-two week high of $86.74. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $78.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $75.63.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported ($1.41) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.23) by ($0.18). Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 68.82% and a negative net margin of 40.36%.The firm had revenue of $203.33 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $156.07 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.66) earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Ionis Pharmaceuticals will post -3.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Ionis Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Elizabeth L. Hougen sold 215,048 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.40, for a total transaction of $15,569,475.20. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 92,832 shares in the company, valued at $6,721,036.80. This represents a 69.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Shannon L. Devers sold 44,199 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $1,488,389.52. This represents a 71.64% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 1,035,882 shares of company stock worth $80,492,247 over the last three months. Company insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at $2,340,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 66.1% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 862,593 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,431,000 after purchasing an additional 343,409 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter worth $17,790,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 1,669.0% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 312,297 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,430,000 after buying an additional 294,643 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynasty Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at $938,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.86% of the company’s stock.

More Ionis Pharmaceuticals News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $106 and maintained an “overweight” rating, arguing for roughly 45% upside from current levels — a near-term catalyst if investors follow the bank’s thesis. Barclays PT Raise
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright reiterated a Buy rating and models FY2027 EPS of ($0.35) with a $120 price objective, signaling bullish institutional expectations for recovery and long-term value. HC Wainwright Report
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple independent broker notes (Needham, Barclays coverage summarized by financial outlets) point to strong upside and price appreciation potential based on portfolio progress and pipeline monetization. Needham Forecast
• Neutral Sentiment: Ionis repriced a drug ahead of a key FDA decision — a sign it’s positioning for a larger commercial market but also introduces execution risk if approval or launch dynamics differ from expectations. Monitor pricing, label and launch plans for impact. MSN Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative analyses (Ionis vs. Innate Pharma) provide context but are unlikely to move the stock materially unless they reveal concrete partnership or competitive shifts. Head-to-Head Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks highlights that IONS is down since the last earnings release—investors remain concerned after the recent quarter showed a larger EPS miss, negative margins and revenue headwinds despite some revenue beats, keeping short-term sentiment pressured. Zacks Coverage

About Ionis Pharmaceuticals

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.