Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Given New $110.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) had its price target dropped by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $130.00 to $110.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price indicates a potential upside of 85.01% from the stock’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. HC Wainwright upped their target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Leerink Partners lifted their price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $122.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $100.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $105.00 to $86.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $110.00 to $95.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ionis Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $97.05.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 7.5%

NASDAQ IONS opened at $59.46 on Friday. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a twelve month low of $40.03 and a twelve month high of $86.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75, a quick ratio of 4.09 and a current ratio of 4.10. The stock has a market cap of $9.83 billion, a PE ratio of -28.54 and a beta of 0.36. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $76.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $77.41.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported ($0.56) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.85) by $0.29. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 58.65% and a negative net margin of 30.91%.The company had revenue of $246.09 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $195.56 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.93) EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 86.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Ionis Pharmaceuticals will post -3.69 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Ionis Pharmaceuticals

In other news, EVP Holly B. Kordasiewicz sold 60,846 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.41, for a total transaction of $4,466,704.86. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 22,458 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,648,641.78. This represents a 73.04% 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. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP C Frank Bennett sold 15,000 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 75,018 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,411,038.28. This represents a 16.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 244,038 shares of company stock valued at $19,139,399. 1.81% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter valued at about $30,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth about $47,000. 93.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals News Roundup

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

• Negative Sentiment: Ionis and AstraZeneca reported that the Phase 3 CARDIO-TTRansform trial of eplontersen in ATTR-CM did not meet its primary efficacy endpoint, a significant clinical disappointment that could hurt confidence in the drug’s commercial outlook. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters reported that AstraZeneca-Ionis’ Wainua failed to reduce cardiovascular deaths and recurring heart problems in a late-stage study, reinforcing concerns about the company’s cardiovascular franchise. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually large put option buying suggests traders are positioning for more downside after the trial failure.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling by EVP Holly B. Kordasiewicz and Director Allene M. Diaz may add to near-term investor caution, even though the trades were made under pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans.
• Neutral Sentiment: Needham lowered its price target on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $105 to $86 while maintaining a Buy rating, and Canaccord Genuity cut its target from $110 to $95 but also kept a Buy rating, signaling reduced expectations but continued long-term optimism. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also issued FY 2026 revenue guidance of $875 million to $900 million, which appears broadly in line with consensus and may help offset some of the trial-related selling pressure.

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.