Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $IONS Shares Sold by J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG decreased its position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) by 63.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,431 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,973 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals were worth $483,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 41.2% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 19,941.6% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,321,345 shares of the company’s stock valued at $104,532,000 after purchasing an additional 1,314,752 shares during the last quarter. Baker BROS. Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 216.1% in the fourth quarter. Baker BROS. Advisors LP now owns 1,791,841 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,753,000 after buying an additional 1,225,043 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 7,219.3% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 958,829 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,727,000 after buying an additional 945,729 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth $41,223,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.86% of the company’s stock.

Key Ionis Pharmaceuticals News

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

• Negative Sentiment: Ionis and AstraZeneca’s late-stage trial for an experimental heart disease therapy failed to meet its primary target, triggering a sharp selloff and hurting confidence in the company’s pipeline. Article: Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (IONS) Faces Investor Scrutiny After Surprise Trial Failure Drives Stock Down 23% – HBSS
• Negative Sentiment: Investor-rights firms have opened investigations into whether Ionis adequately disclosed the trial’s data and design, adding legal and reputational overhang after the setback. Article: Levi & Korsinsky Notifies Investors of a Pending Investigation Into Securities Claims Involving Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS)
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz also announced an investigation into claims on behalf of Ionis investors, reinforcing concern that the trial disappointment could lead to securities litigation. Article: INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. – IONS
• Neutral Sentiment: Ionis announced it will host its second-quarter 2026 earnings webcast on July 29, which could provide updates on financial performance and pipeline progress. Article: Ionis to hold second quarter 2026 financial results webcast
• Neutral Sentiment: HC Wainwright slightly lowered its earnings estimates for Ionis but kept a Buy rating and $125 price target, suggesting the long-term view remains intact despite near-term disappointment.
• Positive Sentiment: Ionis began dosing in its Phase I/II Dravet syndrome study, a small but constructive development for a separate pipeline asset. Article: Ionis Begins Dosing in Phase I/II Dravet Syndrome Study

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $54.73 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.04 billion, a P/E ratio of -26.44 and a beta of 0.36. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $40.03 and a 12-month high of $86.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75, a current ratio of 4.10 and a quick ratio of 4.09. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $74.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $76.71.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported ($0.56) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.85) by $0.29. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 30.91% and a negative return on equity of 58.65%. The business had revenue of $246.09 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $195.56 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.93) earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 86.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -3.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ionis Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Eugene Schneider sold 26,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.05, for a total transaction of $2,107,300.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 77,114 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,250,089.70. This represents a 25.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Brett P. Monia sold 50,000 shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Friday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.59, for a total value of $4,029,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 245,571 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,790,566.89. This represents a 16.92% 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. Insiders sold a total of 233,163 shares of company stock worth $18,316,551 in the last three months. 1.81% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Bank of America upped 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. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $100.00 to $85.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $115.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $96.05.

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.