Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Given New $105.00 Price Target at Needham & Company LLC

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) had its price objective raised by Needham & Company LLC from $103.00 to $105.00 in a research note published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the stock.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on IONS. Bank of America boosted their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $82.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut Ionis Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $95.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $89.60.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 4.3%

Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $72.70 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.76, a current ratio of 3.83 and a quick ratio of 3.81. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a 1-year low of $23.95 and a 1-year high of $86.74. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $79.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.57. The company has a market capitalization of $12.01 billion, a P/E ratio of -29.79 and a beta of 0.31.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported ($1.41) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.23) by ($0.18). The business had revenue of $203.33 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $156.07 million. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 40.36% and a negative return on equity of 68.82%. Ionis Pharmaceuticals’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.66) earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Ionis Pharmaceuticals will post -3.5 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ionis Pharmaceuticals

In related news, CEO Brett P. Monia sold 34,103 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.92, for a total value of $2,589,099.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 242,662 shares in the company, valued at $18,422,899.04. This trade represents a 12.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Elizabeth L. Hougen sold 10,172 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.21, for a total value of $744,692.12. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 82,660 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,051,538.60. The trade was a 10.96% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 1,035,882 shares of company stock worth $80,492,247. 2.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ionis Pharmaceuticals

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in IONS. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. purchased a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,340,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 66.1% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 862,593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,431,000 after purchasing an additional 343,409 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at $17,790,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 1,669.0% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 312,297 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,430,000 after buying an additional 294,643 shares during the period. Finally, Dynasty Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter valued at $938,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.86% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Ionis Pharmaceuticals

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

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.