Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) Stock Has Average Target Price of $89.20 According to Analysts

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and seventeen have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $89.20.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on IONS. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $90.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Guggenheim cut their target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $89.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, September 15th. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price target on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $95.00 to $85.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $84.00 price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP C. Bennett sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.46, for a total transaction of $1,281,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 75,018 shares in the company, valued at $6,411,038.28. This represents a 16.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Holly Kordasiewicz sold 362 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.30, for a total value of $30,516.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 22,096 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,862,692.80. The trade was a 1.61% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 31,009 shares of company stock valued at $2,638,797 over the last three months. 1.81% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IONS. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter worth about $283,000. Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 42.8% in the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 49,178 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,899,000 after buying an additional 14,746 shares in the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC raised its stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 12,172.0% in the second quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 6,136 shares of the company’s stock worth $487,000 after buying an additional 6,086 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 7.4% in the second quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 2,926 shares of the company’s stock worth $232,000 after buying an additional 202 shares during the period. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 2.5% in the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 43,302 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,433,000 after buying an additional 1,036 shares during the period. 93.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Ionis Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: Ionis and partner Roche reported that the Phase 3 IMAgINATION study of investigational sefaxersen in IgA nephropathy met its primary endpoint. The treatment produced statistically significant and clinically meaningful proteinuria reduction versus placebo at 37 weeks, supporting the potential for a major partnered kidney-disease product. Ionis announces positive interim data from partner Roche’s Phase 3 IMAgINATION study in IgA nephropathy
• Positive Sentiment: Additional coverage highlighted positive late-stage results for two partnered medicines: sefaxersen reduced proteinuria in IgA nephropathy, while ulefnersen met its Phase 3 endpoint in ALS. The results strengthen Ionis’s partnered pipeline and potential royalty and milestone opportunities. Ionis Delivers Positive Late-Stage Results for Two Partnered Drugs
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright reaffirmed a Buy rating and set a $100 price target, implying substantial upside from recent trading levels. Canaccord Genuity also maintained its Buy recommendation, indicating continued analyst confidence in Ionis’s drug-development platform.
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short interest was listed at zero shares and a zero-day short-interest ratio. This unusual figure is unlikely to provide a meaningful signal and may reflect a reporting or data issue rather than a genuine change in investor positioning.
• Negative Sentiment: A market commentary argues that IONS still looks expensive even after a roughly 45% year-to-date decline. That valuation concern, along with the stock’s substantial fall below its moving averages, may be limiting the market’s response to the positive clinical news. Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Looks Pricey On Its 45% YTD Slide

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 0.3%

NASDAQ:IONS opened at $43.81 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $55.12 and a 200 day moving average of $67.40. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a 52 week low of $43.01 and a 52 week high of $86.74. The company has a quick ratio of 7.73, a current ratio of 7.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.28 billion, a P/E ratio of -12.66 and a beta of 0.42.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc is a biotechnology company that discovers and develops medicines using antisense technology, which is designed to target RNA and influence the production of disease-related proteins. The company focuses on neurological, cardiovascular, metabolic and other serious diseases for which there remains a significant unmet medical need.

Ionis has developed several approved therapies, including SPINRAZA (nusinersen) for spinal muscular atrophy, QALSODY (tofersen) for a form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, TEGSEDI (inotersen) for hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis and WAYLIVRA (volanesorsen) for familial chylomicronemia syndrome in certain markets.