Insider Selling: Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) EVP Sells 3,977 Shares of Stock

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) EVP Shannon Devers sold 3,977 shares of the business’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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 22,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,833,484.94. This trade represents a 15.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

NASDAQ IONS traded down $1.75 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $80.04. 2,128,921 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,540,968. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $79.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.55. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $23.95 and a 52 week high of $86.15. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.96 billion, a P/E ratio of -47.36 and a beta of 0.28.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported ($0.80) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.15) by $0.35. The company 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%. Ionis Pharmaceuticals’s quarterly revenue was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.95) EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -3.5 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in IONS. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 198.4% in the third quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 376 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. purchased a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 231.8% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 740 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 517 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth $38,000. 93.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Ionis Pharmaceuticals

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on IONS. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $86.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Ionis Pharmaceuticals from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $49.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $43.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $45.00 to $65.00 in a report on Friday, September 26th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.45.

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.