Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation and eighteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $94.65.

IONS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $110.00 to $95.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 10th. Needham & Company LLC cut their price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $105.00 to $86.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 9th. HC Wainwright reduced their price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $115.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, July 17th.

Trending Headlines about Ionis Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan reportedly expects Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ stock to rise, providing a bullish counterpoint to the recent weakness. Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says
• Neutral Sentiment: HC Wainwright maintained its Buy rating and $115 price target, well above recent trading levels. The firm modestly raised its FY2026 loss estimate to $3.41 per share from $3.45, suggesting slightly improved expectations for that year.
• Negative Sentiment: HC Wainwright lowered its EPS forecasts for multiple periods, including Q3 2026 to a $1.14 loss from $1.06, Q4 2026 to a $1.02 loss from $0.83, and FY2027 to a $1.27 loss from $1.11. Estimates for Q1 and Q2 2027 were also reduced, signaling that profitability may take longer to develop despite the firm’s bullish rating.
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP announced an investigation into potential claims on behalf of Ionis investors. Although the announcement does not establish wrongdoing, the legal inquiry adds reputational and headline risk to the stock. Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims on Behalf of Investors of Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Insider Buying and Selling at Ionis Pharmaceuticals

In other Ionis Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Holly B. Kordasiewicz sold 60,846 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.41, for a total value of $4,466,704.86. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 22,458 shares in the company, valued at $1,648,641.78. This represents a 73.04% decrease in their position. 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 Eugene Schneider sold 26,000 shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.05, for a total value of $2,107,300.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 77,114 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,250,089.70. This trade represents a 25.21% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 5,238,571 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 19,941.6% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,321,345 shares of the company’s stock worth $104,532,000 after acquiring an additional 1,314,752 shares in the last quarter. Baker BROS. Advisors LP increased its stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 216.1% in the fourth quarter. Baker BROS. Advisors LP now owns 1,791,841 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,753,000 after acquiring an additional 1,225,043 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 7,219.3% in the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 958,829 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,727,000 after acquiring an additional 945,729 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter valued at about $41,223,000. 93.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $54.19 on Thursday. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a 12-month low of $40.03 and a 12-month high of $86.74. The company has a market cap of $9.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -15.66 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a current ratio of 7.89, a quick ratio of 7.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $68.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $74.02.

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.