Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) EVP Elizabeth Hougen Sells 6,988 Shares

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) EVP Elizabeth Hougen sold 6,988 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.24, for a total transaction of $581,681.12. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 132,881 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,061,014.44. This represents a 5.00% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

NASDAQ IONS opened at $83.07 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $13.45 billion, a PE ratio of -49.15 and a beta of 0.29. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $80.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 2.78 and a current ratio of 2.79. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $23.95 and a 52-week high of $86.15.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on IONS shares. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $82.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $95.00 target price for the company. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $89.00 price target (up from $85.00) on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, October 30th. HC Wainwright boosted their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $43.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. One 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 given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.45.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of IONS. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 198.4% during the third 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 last quarter. Mather Group LLC. acquired a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter valued at $27,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 231.8% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 517 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. 93.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Ionis Pharmaceuticals News

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

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.