Key Points
- Elizabeth Hougen sold 6,988 shares on Jan. 30 at an average price of $83.24 for about $581,681, leaving her with 132,881 shares (a roughly 5% reduction).
- The sale is part of broader insider selling — including CEO Brett Monia’s 62,970‑share sale (~$5.2M, ~18.2% stake cut) and similar EVP disposals — which may weigh on near‑term sentiment, though executives still hold sizable positions.
- Ionis trades near recent highs (opened $83.07, 12‑month high $86.15) with a market cap of about $13.45B and a MarketBeat consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with a ~$86.45 target.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS - Get Free Report) EVP Eric Swayze sold 6,179 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.93, for a total value of $512,424.47. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 47,747 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,959,658.71. The trade was a 11.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.
Eric Swayze also recently made the following trade(s):
- On Friday, January 16th, Eric Swayze sold 49 shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.97, for a total transaction of $3,722.53.
- On Friday, January 16th, Eric Swayze sold 9,884 shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.34, for a total transaction of $744,660.56.
- On Friday, January 2nd, Eric Swayze sold 23,463 shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.12, for a total transaction of $1,856,392.56.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 0.5%
Shares of NASDAQ IONS opened at $83.07 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $13.45 billion, a P/E ratio of -49.15 and a beta of 0.29. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $23.95 and a 1 year high of $86.15. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $80.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.84.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
IONS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Bank of America increased their target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $86.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $84.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, November 1st. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating and set a $89.00 price objective (up from $85.00) on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.45.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on IONS
Institutional Trading of Ionis Pharmaceuticals
A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS purchased a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at about $2,302,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at about $47,000. M&T Bank Corp raised its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 35.6% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 8,150 shares of the company's stock valued at $644,000 after buying an additional 2,140 shares during the period. Comerica Bank lifted its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 82.8% during the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 3,997 shares of the company's stock worth $316,000 after acquiring an additional 1,810 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,418,491 shares of the company's stock worth $112,476,000 after acquiring an additional 25,367 shares in the last quarter. 93.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Ionis Pharmaceuticals this week:
- Neutral Sentiment: Insiders still retain meaningful stakes — although several sold shares, executives continue to hold large positions (e.g., CEO still owns ~283,927 shares valued at ~$23.5M). This suggests sales may be rebalancing/diversification rather than full exits. CEO Filing
- Negative Sentiment: CEO Brett P. Monia sold 62,970 shares at an average ~$82.72 (≈$5.21M), reducing his stake by ~18.2% — a sizable insider sale that can weigh on sentiment given the magnitude. CEO Filing
- Negative Sentiment: Multiple executive VPs completed similar-sized sales (~6k shares each at low‑$80s), including C. Frank Bennett (5,885 shares). The pattern of coordinated small‑block sales by senior management can be interpreted negatively by momentum traders. Bennett Filing
- Negative Sentiment: EVP Brian Birchler sold 6,179 shares (~$513k), trimming his position by ~8.5%; similar filings from other EVPs (e.g., Patrick O’Neil, Eugene Schneider, Eric Swayze, Elizabeth Hougen) were also disclosed. These routine sales collectively increase supply and can pressure near‑term sentiment. Birchler Filing
Ionis Pharmaceuticals Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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