Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) Receives $87.05 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation, sixteen have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $86.45.

IONS has been the subject of several research reports. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $43.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 6th. HC Wainwright raised their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Ionis Pharmaceuticals from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $49.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 8th.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: EU approval for Dawnzera (hereditary angioedema) expands Ionis’ commercial footprint after the prior U.S. clearance, increasing potential revenue and reinforcing the drug’s global launch narrative. This regulatory milestone supports longer-term sales upside and de-risks a marketed asset. Ionis’ Dawnzera Gets EU Approval for Hereditary Angioedema
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insiders filed sales of Ionis shares today (large aggregate volumes from senior staff), which can be interpreted as profit-taking or signal reduced insider conviction and may pressure the stock in the near term. Key filings reported include sales by Brett Monia (44,034 shares), Elizabeth Hougen (12,922), Patrick O’Neil (9,191), Eugene Schneider (9,302), C. Frank Bennett (8,977), Brian Birchler (8,480), Shannon Devers (8,353), and two earlier smaller transactions. These are sizeable individual dispositions and bear watching for follow-on selling or the stated reasons in the filings (e.g., diversification, tax, option exercises).
  Brett Monia Sells 44,034 Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Stock
  Elizabeth Hougen Sells 12,922 Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Stock
  Patrick O’neil Sells 9,191 Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Stock
  Eugene Schneider Sells 9,302 Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Stock
  C Frank Bennett Sells 8,977 Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Stock
  Brian Birchler Sells 8,480 Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Stock
  Shannon Devers Sells 8,353 Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Stock
  Kyle Jenne Sells 1,823 Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Stock
  Holly Kordasiewicz Sells 4,141 Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Stock

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:IONS opened at $80.04 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $12.96 billion, a P/E ratio of -47.36 and a beta of 0.28. The company’s 50-day moving average is $79.44 and its 200 day moving average is $64.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 2.78 and a current ratio of 2.79. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a fifty-two week low of $23.95 and a fifty-two week high of $86.15.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported ($0.80) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.15) by $0.35. The business had revenue of $156.72 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $131.75 million. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 26.45% and a negative return on equity of 44.26%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.95) earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Ionis Pharmaceuticals will post -3.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ionis Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Eric Swayze sold 9,884 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.34, for a total value of $744,660.56. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 41,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,159,382.90. This trade represents a 19.07% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Shannon L. Devers sold 3,977 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.34, for a total value of $323,489.18. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 22,541 shares in the company, valued at $1,833,484.94. The trade was a 15.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 395,140 shares of company stock worth $30,506,876 in the last 90 days. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IONS. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 72.5% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 652,518 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,686,000 after buying an additional 274,310 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 6.4% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 659,435 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,895,000 after buying an additional 39,794 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 30.1% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 9,832 shares of the company’s stock valued at $297,000 after acquiring an additional 2,277 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 151.3% in the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,872 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 1,127 shares during the period. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital bought a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter worth $226,000. Institutional investors own 93.86% of the company’s stock.

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.