Barclays Increases Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Price Target to $106.00

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) had its price target lifted by equities researchers at Barclays from $95.00 to $106.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Barclays‘s price objective suggests a potential upside of 46.92% from the stock’s current price.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 28th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. HC Wainwright lifted their price objective on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $90.15.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ IONS opened at $72.15 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.76, a quick ratio of 3.81 and a current ratio of 3.83. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a one year low of $23.95 and a one year high of $86.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.92 billion, a P/E ratio of -29.57 and a beta of 0.31. The company’s fifty day moving average is $78.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.63.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Brett P. Monia sold 34,103 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.92, for a total transaction of $2,589,099.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 242,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,422,899.04. This trade represents a 12.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Patrick R. O’neil sold 10,148 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.25, for a total value of $763,637.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 62,211 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,681,377.75. The trade was a 14.02% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,035,882 shares of company stock valued at $80,492,247. Corporate insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. purchased a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth about $2,340,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 66.1% in the 3rd 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 position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at about $17,790,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 1,669.0% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 312,297 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,430,000 after purchasing an additional 294,643 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynasty Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth about $938,000. 93.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Ionis Pharmaceuticals News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $106 and maintained an “overweight” rating, arguing for roughly 45% upside from current levels — a near-term catalyst if investors follow the bank’s thesis. Barclays PT Raise
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright reiterated a Buy rating and models FY2027 EPS of ($0.35) with a $120 price objective, signaling bullish institutional expectations for recovery and long-term value. HC Wainwright Report
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple independent broker notes (Needham, Barclays coverage summarized by financial outlets) point to strong upside and price appreciation potential based on portfolio progress and pipeline monetization. Needham Forecast
• Neutral Sentiment: Ionis repriced a drug ahead of a key FDA decision — a sign it’s positioning for a larger commercial market but also introduces execution risk if approval or launch dynamics differ from expectations. Monitor pricing, label and launch plans for impact. MSN Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative analyses (Ionis vs. Innate Pharma) provide context but are unlikely to move the stock materially unless they reveal concrete partnership or competitive shifts. Head-to-Head Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks highlights that IONS is down since the last earnings release—investors remain concerned after the recent quarter showed a larger EPS miss, negative margins and revenue headwinds despite some revenue beats, keeping short-term sentiment pressured. Zacks Coverage

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.