HC Wainwright Issues Positive Forecast for Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Stock Price

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) had its price objective upped by HC Wainwright from $110.00 to $120.00 in a research report report published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the stock.

Several other analysts have also commented on IONS. Leerink Partners boosted their price target on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Barclays began coverage on Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $95.00 price objective for the company. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $86.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $89.60.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 4.3%

Shares of IONS opened at $72.70 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.81, a current ratio of 3.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.76. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $79.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $75.57. The stock has a market cap of $12.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -29.79 and a beta of 0.31. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a 12 month low of $23.95 and a 12 month high of $86.74.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 $203.33 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $156.07 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.66) earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Ionis Pharmaceuticals will post -3.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Eugene Schneider sold 5,812 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 63,890 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,534,273.30. This represents a 8.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Brett P. Monia sold 34,103 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.92, for a total value of $2,589,099.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 242,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,422,899.04. This trade represents a 12.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders sold 1,035,882 shares of company stock worth $80,492,247. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IONS. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased 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 acquiring an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. bought a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. bought a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.86% of the company’s stock.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals News Summary

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

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.