Westfield Capital Management Co. LP Lowers Stock Holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $IONS

Westfield Capital Management Co. LP reduced its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) by 67.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,093 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,468 shares during the quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP’s holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals were worth $202,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of IONS. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth approximately $1,231,000. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at $235,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at $4,638,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth $665,000. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 161.3% in the third quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 155,790 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,192,000 after purchasing an additional 96,164 shares during the last quarter. 93.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ IONS opened at $81.15 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 2.78. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $23.95 and a 1 year high of $86.74. The company’s 50-day moving average is $81.33 and its 200 day moving average is $71.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.14 billion, a P/E ratio of -33.26 and a beta of 0.29.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported ($1.41) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.23) by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $203.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $156.07 million. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 66.25% and a negative net margin of 40.36%.The firm’s revenue was down 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.66) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -3.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Trending Headlines about Ionis Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler raised its price target to $100 and moved to an “overweight” rating, signaling ~23% upside from current levels — a clear buy-side endorsement. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Needham lifted its price target to $103 from $90, another analyst upgrade supporting the rally and reflecting greater confidence in revenue trajectory. Needham Lifts PT on Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS) to $103 From $90
• Positive Sentiment: Updates to Tryngolza outlook are materially positive: recent analysis lifts peak revenue estimates (several sources cite >$2B for Tryngolza and company-level peak revenue/royalty/milestone potential in the multi‑billion range), and management guides to cash-flow breakeven by 2028 — bullish for long-term value. Ionis Pharmaceuticals: Digesting Recent Events
• Neutral Sentiment: Company presented at Oppenheimer’s healthcare conference; slides/transcript provide additional visibility into pipeline progress and commercialization strategy but are informational rather than catalytic. IONS Presents at Oppenheimer Conference Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: General earnings call coverage/recaps are available for detail on management commentary and guidance; useful for modeling but not single-handedly market-moving. Q4 2025 Earnings Call Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results were mixed: revenue and Tryngolza sales beat expectations, but EPS missed estimates and management gave a softer 2026 outlook, which pressured the stock in after-hours/early trade. Ionis Q4 Earnings & Sales Beat, Stock Down on Soft 2026 Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage noted the EPS miss led to a gap-down reaction in some sessions; near-term uptake for new drugs and the FY2026 revenue cadence remain the main risk factors to watch. Shares Gap Down on Disappointing Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Stifel raised its target modestly to $77 but kept a “hold” rating — the lower relative PT signals at least one shop sees limited near-term upside. Article Title

Insider Activity

In other Ionis Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Eric Swayze sold 15,642 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.76, for a total value of $1,278,889.92. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 32,105 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,624,904.80. This represents a 32.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP C Frank Bennett sold 85,089 shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.93, for a total transaction of $7,056,430.77. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 80,293 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,658,698.49. The trade was a 51.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 464,579 shares of company stock worth $37,630,193. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on IONS. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $82.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $86.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One equities research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ionis Pharmaceuticals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $88.80.

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.