Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) CEO Brett Monia Sells 62,970 Shares of Stock

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) CEO Brett Monia sold 62,970 shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.72, for a total value of $5,208,878.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 283,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,486,441.44. The trade was a 18.15% 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 Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ IONS opened at $83.07 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.78, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $23.95 and a fifty-two week high of $86.15. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $80.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.84. The firm has a market cap of $13.45 billion, a PE ratio of -49.15 and a beta of 0.29.

Trending Headlines about Ionis Pharmaceuticals

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

• Neutral Sentiment: Insiders still retain meaningful stakes — although several sold shares, executives continue to hold large positions (e.g., CEO still owns ~283,927 shares valued at ~$23.5M). This suggests sales may be rebalancing/diversification rather than full exits. CEO Filing
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Brett P. Monia sold 62,970 shares at an average ~$82.72 (≈$5.21M), reducing his stake by ~18.2% — a sizable insider sale that can weigh on sentiment given the magnitude. CEO Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple executive VPs completed similar-sized sales (~6k shares each at low‑$80s), including C. Frank Bennett (5,885 shares). The pattern of coordinated small‑block sales by senior management can be interpreted negatively by momentum traders. Bennett Filing
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Brian Birchler sold 6,179 shares (~$513k), trimming his position by ~8.5%; similar filings from other EVPs (e.g., Patrick O’Neil, Eugene Schneider, Eric Swayze, Elizabeth Hougen) were also disclosed. These routine sales collectively increase supply and can pressure near‑term sentiment. Birchler Filing

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

IONS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Ionis Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. HC Wainwright increased their target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Barclays initiated coverage on Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $95.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $43.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. One equities research 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.45.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of IONS. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 198.4% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Mather Group LLC. bought a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Institutional investors own 93.86% of the company’s stock.

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.