Key Points
- Director Allene Diaz sold 54,878 shares of Ionis at an average of $79.35 on March 3, generating about $4.35 million and reducing her stake by 93.51% to 3,811 shares, according to an SEC filing.
- Ionis reported an EPS miss (loss of $1.41 vs. -$1.23 expected) despite a revenue beat of $203M (vs. $156.07M), with a negative net margin (~40%) and ROE (-68.8%) while revenue was down 10.6% year-over-year.
- Analysts are generally positive—MarketBeat lists a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $89—while the stock trades in the mid-$70s and the company has a market cap of about $12.3B.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS - Get Free Report) EVP Shannon Devers sold 20,106 shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.40, for a total value of $1,596,416.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 22,541 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,789,755.40. The trade was a 47.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance
Shares of NASDAQ IONS traded down $1.10 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $74.06. 370,433 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,268,973. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $23.95 and a 52 week high of $86.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.76, a current ratio of 3.83 and a quick ratio of 3.81. The company has a market cap of $12.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -30.35 and a beta of 0.31. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $81.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.91.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported ($1.41) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $203.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $156.07 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.66) earnings per share. Ionis Pharmaceuticals's revenue was down 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -3.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Analyst Ratings Changes
IONS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $86.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. HC Wainwright increased their price objective on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ionis Pharmaceuticals currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $89.00.
View Our Latest Stock Report on IONS
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ionis Pharmaceuticals
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of IONS. Capital World Investors grew its position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 41.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 17,961,299 shares of the company's stock worth $1,420,918,000 after purchasing an additional 5,238,571 shares in the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. grew its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 253.3% during the second quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 3,800,000 shares of the company's stock worth $150,138,000 after buying an additional 2,724,400 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,148,849 shares of the company's stock worth $249,158,000 after buying an additional 82,560 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 9.5% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,987,840 shares of the company's stock valued at $236,370,000 after acquiring an additional 258,155 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tweedy Browne Co LLC lifted its position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Tweedy Browne Co LLC now owns 2,901,216 shares of the company's stock valued at $189,798,000 after acquiring an additional 9,268 shares during the period. 93.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Ionis Pharmaceuticals this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher targets lift sentiment — several brokerages (including Leerink/Leerink Partners and H.C. Wainwright) have raised price targets and issued buy/outperform ratings in recent days, supporting medium-term upside expectations. Leerink Raises PT
- Positive Sentiment: An analyst raised Q1 EPS estimates, which reduces short-term earnings uncertainty and may underpin multiple expansion if confirmed. Q1 EPS Estimate Boosted
- Neutral Sentiment: Competitive data from peers: Biogen announced new SMA data presentations this week — positive readouts for competitors can influence the market for SMA therapeutics and create mixed implications for Ionis's pipeline progress. Biogen SMA Data
- Negative Sentiment: Large insider selling by multiple senior insiders is weighing on the stock; EVP C. Frank Bennett sold 85,089 shares (~$6.74M), Director Allene Diaz sold 54,878 shares (~$4.35M), and EVP Shannon Devers sold 20,106 shares — each materially reduced their positions, which market participants often view as a negative signal even when filings show no other context. Insider Sales
- Negative Sentiment: Fundamental headwinds remain: recent quarterly results showed an EPS miss despite revenue beating estimates and year-over-year revenue decline; the company still projects negative earnings for the year, keeping profitability concerns in focus. Recent Earnings Recap
Ionis Pharmaceuticals Company Profile
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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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