DAVENPORT & Co LLC Purchases 155,334 Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $IONS

DAVENPORT & Co LLC increased its position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) by 248.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 217,897 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 155,334 shares during the quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC owned approximately 0.13% of Ionis Pharmaceuticals worth $17,238,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IONS. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. boosted its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 253.3% in the second quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 3,800,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $150,138,000 after buying an additional 2,724,400 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 7,219.3% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 958,829 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,727,000 after buying an additional 945,729 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 190.3% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,372,225 shares of the company’s stock worth $89,771,000 after buying an additional 899,476 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at approximately $41,223,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 230.4% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 878,155 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,449,000 after acquiring an additional 612,362 shares during the last quarter. 93.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $72.70 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.76, a current ratio of 3.83 and a quick ratio of 3.81. The firm has a market cap of $12.01 billion, a P/E ratio of -29.79 and a beta of 0.31. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $79.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $75.57. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $23.95 and a fifty-two week high of $86.74.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported ($1.41) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.23) by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $203.33 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $156.07 million. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 68.82% and a negative net margin of 40.36%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.66) EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -3.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered Ionis Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $82.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.60.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright raised its price target to $120 and maintained a “buy” rating — implying roughly 65% upside from the recent reference price; this is a strong vote of confidence in Ionis’ pipeline and likely helped lift sentiment. HC Wainwright PT Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Needham & Company increased its price target to $105 and reiterated a “buy” rating — another analyst upgrade that supports higher share-price expectations. Needham PT Raise
• Positive Sentiment: The FDA granted priority review to Ionis’ NDA for zilganersen for Alexander disease, setting a Sept. 22, 2026 decision date — a meaningful regulatory catalyst since priority review accelerates the timeline and reflects the agency’s view of potential benefit. FDA Priority Review for Zilganersen
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest reports posted this week show zero shares / zero days-to-cover data and flagged increases as NaN — likely a reporting/data anomaly rather than a meaningful change to short positioning. Investors should watch for corrected data if short activity is a concern.
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Eugene Schneider sold 5,812 shares (filed sale, avg price ~$70.97) — insider selling can be perceived negatively, though the executive still holds a large position. The size and timing may temper enthusiasm for some investors. Insider Sale

Insider Activity at Ionis Pharmaceuticals

In other news, EVP Eugene Schneider sold 5,812 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.97, for a total transaction of $412,477.64. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 63,890 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,534,273.30. This represents a 8.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Elizabeth L. Hougen sold 10,172 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.21, for a total value of $744,692.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 82,660 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,051,538.60. This represents a 10.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 1,035,882 shares of company stock valued at $80,492,247 over the last quarter. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals 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.