Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $IONS Shares Purchased by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) by 51.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 267,215 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 91,180 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals were worth $20,056,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 41.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 17,961,299 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,420,918,000 after acquiring an additional 5,238,571 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,148,849 shares of the company’s stock valued at $249,158,000 after acquiring an additional 82,560 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,987,840 shares of the company’s stock worth $236,370,000 after purchasing an additional 258,155 shares in the last quarter. Baker BROS. Advisors LP increased its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 216.1% during the 4th quarter. Baker BROS. Advisors LP now owns 1,791,841 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,753,000 after purchasing an additional 1,225,043 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,541,841 shares of the company’s stock valued at $121,975,000 after purchasing an additional 21,890 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.86% of the company’s stock.

More Ionis Pharmaceuticals News

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan reportedly expects Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ stock price to rise, providing a bullish signal for investors. The positive view may reflect confidence in the company’s drug pipeline and longer-term growth prospects. Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright maintained a Buy rating and a $115 price target, well above recent trading levels. The firm also modestly improved its fiscal 2026 EPS forecast to a loss of $3.41 per share from a projected loss of $3.45, and its estimate remains better than the current-year consensus loss of $3.67. HC Wainwright Analysts Decrease Earnings Estimates for IONS
• Neutral Sentiment: The analyst’s projections imply that Ionis is still expected to report losses in each listed quarter, including estimated EPS of negative $1.14 for Q3 2026 and negative $1.02 for Q4 2026. The company’s strong liquidity, reflected in a quick ratio above 7, provides financial flexibility, but profitability remains a key investor concern.
• Negative Sentiment: HC Wainwright reduced its EPS forecasts for Q3 2026, Q4 2026, Q1 2027, Q2 2027 and full-year 2027. The FY2027 forecast was lowered to a loss of $1.27 per share from $1.11, while the Q4 2026 estimate declined to a loss of $1.02 from $0.83. These revisions suggest weaker near-term earnings expectations and could weigh on the stock. HC Wainwright Analysts Decrease Earnings Estimates for IONS

Insider Transactions at Ionis Pharmaceuticals

In related news, Director Michael R. Hayden bought 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $51.60 per share, for a total transaction of $258,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 24,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,238,400. This trade represents a 26.32% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Allene M. Diaz sold 10,111 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.42, for a total transaction of $863,681.62. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $325,535.62. This trade represents a 72.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 233,163 shares of company stock valued at $18,316,551 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.81% of the company’s stock.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 0.6%

NASDAQ IONS opened at $54.49 on Friday. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $40.03 and a 12 month high of $86.74. The company has a 50-day moving average of $67.81 and a 200-day moving average of $73.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07, a current ratio of 7.89 and a quick ratio of 7.73. The company has a market cap of $9.06 billion, a P/E ratio of -15.75 and a beta of 0.41.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on IONS shares. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $100.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $69.00 price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $105.00 to $86.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Ionis Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $94.65.

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.