Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $IONS Shares Sold by J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG cut its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) by 63.0% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 6,431 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,973 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals were worth $483,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in IONS. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 39.6% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 11,011 shares of the company’s stock valued at $827,000 after acquiring an additional 3,123 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 590.3% in the 1st quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 185,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,967,000 after purchasing an additional 159,026 shares during the period. Granite Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 11.2% in the 1st quarter. Granite Investment Partners LLC now owns 5,345 shares of the company’s stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the period. Capstone Capital Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,610,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter worth about $327,000. 93.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Ionis Pharmaceuticals

In other news, CEO Brett P. Monia sold 50,000 shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.59, for a total transaction of $4,029,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 245,571 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,790,566.89. The trade was a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP C Frank Bennett sold 5,536 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.58, for a total value of $462,698.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 75,018 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,270,004.44. This trade represents a 6.87% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 233,163 shares of company stock valued at $18,316,551. 1.81% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 0.4%

NASDAQ IONS opened at $54.73 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $9.04 billion, a P/E ratio of -26.44 and a beta of 0.36. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $74.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $76.71. The company has a current ratio of 4.10, a quick ratio of 4.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $40.03 and a 52 week high of $86.74.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported ($0.56) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.85) by $0.29. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 30.91% and a negative return on equity of 58.65%. The firm had revenue of $246.09 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $195.56 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.93) EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 86.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -3.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on IONS. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $100.00 to $85.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $130.00 to $110.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $115.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $115.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 10th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $96.05.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals News Roundup

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

• Negative Sentiment: Ionis and AstraZeneca’s late-stage trial for an experimental heart disease therapy failed to meet its primary target, triggering a sharp selloff and hurting confidence in the company’s pipeline. Article: Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (IONS) Faces Investor Scrutiny After Surprise Trial Failure Drives Stock Down 23% – HBSS
• Negative Sentiment: Investor-rights firms have opened investigations into whether Ionis adequately disclosed the trial’s data and design, adding legal and reputational overhang after the setback. Article: Levi & Korsinsky Notifies Investors of a Pending Investigation Into Securities Claims Involving Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS)
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz also announced an investigation into claims on behalf of Ionis investors, reinforcing concern that the trial disappointment could lead to securities litigation. Article: INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. – IONS
• Neutral Sentiment: Ionis announced it will host its second-quarter 2026 earnings webcast on July 29, which could provide updates on financial performance and pipeline progress. Article: Ionis to hold second quarter 2026 financial results webcast
• Neutral Sentiment: HC Wainwright slightly lowered its earnings estimates for Ionis but kept a Buy rating and $125 price target, suggesting the long-term view remains intact despite near-term disappointment.
• Positive Sentiment: Ionis began dosing in its Phase I/II Dravet syndrome study, a small but constructive development for a separate pipeline asset. Article: Ionis Begins Dosing in Phase I/II Dravet Syndrome Study

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.