Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) CEO Sells $1,653,941.28 in Stock

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) CEO Brett Monia sold 21,072 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.49, for a total value of $1,653,941.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 245,571 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,274,867.79. The trade was a 7.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

IONS opened at $81.18 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $75.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $77.33. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $39.37 and a 52-week 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 firm has a market capitalization of $13.42 billion, a PE ratio of -39.22 and a beta of 0.37.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported ($0.56) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.85) by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $246.09 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $195.56 million. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 58.65% and a negative net margin of 30.91%.The business’s revenue was up 86.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.93) earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -3.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

IONS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $106.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Raymond James Financial began coverage on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, April 10th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $104.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $111.00 target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $102.90.

Key Stories Impacting Ionis Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: Ionis received FDA approval expanding TRYNGOLZA to treat severe hypertriglyceridemia, strengthening the drug’s commercial opportunity and making it the first approved therapy for the condition. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Ionis announced a licensing deal with Recordati for ex-U.S. rights to zilganersen in Alexander disease, which provides upfront and royalty potential while allowing Ionis to keep U.S. commercialization rights. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Leerink Partners raised its price target on Ionis, signaling continued analyst confidence in the company’s pipeline and commercial execution. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: HC Wainwright kept a Buy rating but lowered some 2027 EPS estimates, which is a mild headwind but not a major shift in the firm’s overall view. Article Title

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. bought a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.86% of the company’s stock.

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.