Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation and eighteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $94.65.

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Guggenheim decreased their price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $106.00 to $89.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Wolfe Research reaffirmed a “peer perform” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $100.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $111.00 target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $69.00 target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th.

Trending Headlines about Ionis Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan reportedly expects Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ stock to rise, providing a bullish counterpoint to the recent weakness. Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says
• Neutral Sentiment: HC Wainwright maintained its Buy rating and $115 price target, well above recent trading levels. The firm modestly raised its FY2026 loss estimate to $3.41 per share from $3.45, suggesting slightly improved expectations for that year.
• Negative Sentiment: HC Wainwright lowered its EPS forecasts for multiple periods, including Q3 2026 to a $1.14 loss from $1.06, Q4 2026 to a $1.02 loss from $0.83, and FY2027 to a $1.27 loss from $1.11. Estimates for Q1 and Q2 2027 were also reduced, signaling that profitability may take longer to develop despite the firm’s bullish rating.
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP announced an investigation into potential claims on behalf of Ionis investors. Although the announcement does not establish wrongdoing, the legal inquiry adds reputational and headline risk to the stock. Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims on Behalf of Investors of Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP C Frank Bennett sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.46, for a total transaction of $1,281,900.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 75,018 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,411,038.28. This trade represents a 16.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Eugene Schneider sold 26,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.05, for a total value of $2,107,300.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 77,114 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,250,089.70. The trade was a 25.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 233,163 shares of company stock valued at $18,316,551. Company insiders own 1.81% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Capital World Investors lifted its position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 41.2% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 17,961,299 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,420,918,000 after purchasing an additional 5,238,571 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,148,849 shares of the company’s stock worth $249,158,000 after purchasing an additional 82,560 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,987,840 shares of the company’s stock worth $236,370,000 after acquiring an additional 258,155 shares during the last quarter. Baker BROS. Advisors LP grew its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 216.1% during the 4th quarter. Baker BROS. Advisors LP now owns 1,791,841 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,753,000 after purchasing an additional 1,225,043 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,541,841 shares of the company’s stock worth $121,975,000 after buying an additional 21,890 shares in the last quarter. 93.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

NASDAQ:IONS opened at $54.19 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -15.66 and a beta of 0.41. The business has a 50 day moving average of $68.27 and a 200 day moving average of $74.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07, a current ratio of 7.89 and a quick ratio of 7.73. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a 1-year low of $40.03 and a 1-year high of $86.74.

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.