Insider Selling: Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) EVP Sells $1,596,416.40 in Stock

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) EVP Shannon Devers sold 20,106 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.40, for a total transaction of $1,596,416.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 22,541 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,789,755.40. The trade was a 47.15% decrease 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.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 1.5%

IONS opened at $74.04 on Friday. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $23.95 and a 12 month high of $86.74. The company has a current ratio of 3.83, a quick ratio of 3.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.76. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $81.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $73.33. The company has a market cap of $12.23 billion, a P/E ratio of -30.34 and a beta of 0.31.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported ($1.41) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.23) by ($0.18). Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 40.36% and a negative return on equity of 68.82%. The company had revenue of $203.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $156.07 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.66) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -3.5 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Ionis Pharmaceuticals

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. bought a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 198.4% in the 3rd quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 376 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. 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: Broker upgrades and higher price targets are supporting upside sentiment — multiple firms recently raised ratings/targets (examples include Leerink and H.C. Wainwright), which can attract buyers and underpin the stock. Leerink Raises PT HC Wainwright Buy
• Positive Sentiment: An analyst raised Q1 EPS estimates for Ionis, which narrows short‑term earnings uncertainty and could support a re-rating if results confirm the revision. Q1 EPS Estimate Boosted
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer data flow — Biogen is presenting new SMA data this week. Positive competitor readouts can be a headwind for Ionis’ SMA-related programs or, alternatively, validate the market; implications are mixed for Ionis’ pipeline valuation. Biogen SMA Data
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling by senior executives and a director is weighing on sentiment — EVP C. Frank Bennett sold ~85,089 shares, Director Allene Diaz sold ~54,878 shares and EVP Shannon Devers sold ~20,106 shares in early March; those large, concentrated disposals (multi‑million dollar amounts) often trigger investor concern about management conviction. Insider Sales
• Negative Sentiment: Fundamental headwinds remain — the most recent quarter missed EPS expectations (despite a revenue beat) and the company still projects negative full‑year earnings, keeping profitability and cash‑flow concerns front of mind for investors. Recent Earnings Recap

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on IONS shares. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $86.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $90.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $95.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ionis Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.00.

About Ionis Pharmaceuticals

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.