HC Wainwright Has Bearish Forecast for IONS Q3 Earnings

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) – Equities research analysts at HC Wainwright dropped their Q3 2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note issued on Thursday, June 25th. HC Wainwright analyst M. Kapoor now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $0.05 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.11. HC Wainwright currently has a “Buy” rating and a $130.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ current full-year earnings is ($3.64) per share. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ Q4 2027 earnings at $0.22 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $108.00 price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $106.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Leerink Partners raised their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $122.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $102.90.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

NASDAQ:IONS opened at $78.34 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $74.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $77.33. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a 1-year low of $39.37 and a 1-year 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 has a market cap of $12.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -37.85 and a beta of 0.37.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported ($0.56) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $246.09 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $195.56 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.93) earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 86.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IONS. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 93.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Spencer R. Berthelsen sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.49, for a total value of $587,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 156,013 shares in the company, valued at $11,465,395.37. This trade represents a 4.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director B Lynne Parshall sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.27, for a total transaction of $381,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 51,344 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,916,006.88. This trade represents a 8.87% 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 have sold 93,914 shares of company stock valued at $6,941,424 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.81% of the company’s stock.

Key Ionis Pharmaceuticals News

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approved TRYNGOLZA for severe hypertriglyceridemia, broadening its label and opening a larger commercial market as the only approved treatment for this condition. Article: TRYNGOLZA® (olezarsen) approved by the FDA as the first and only treatment to reduce triglycerides and the risk of acute pancreatitis in patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia (sHTG)
• Positive Sentiment: Leerink Partners raised its price target on Ionis to $129 from $122 and reiterated an outperform rating, signaling stronger expectations for TRYNGOLZA-driven growth. Article: Benzinga report on Leerink price target increase
• Positive Sentiment: Ionis announced a license agreement with Recordati for zilganersen outside the U.S., which could provide additional partnership revenue and global development support for its rare-disease pipeline. Article: Ionis announces license agreement with Recordati for zilganersen in Alexander disease (AxD) in all countries outside the U.S.
• Neutral Sentiment: Ionis held a transcript discussion on the FDA approval of TRYNGOLZA, reinforcing the company’s bullish messaging around the new label expansion. Article: Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (IONS) Discusses FDA Approval of TRYNGOLZA for Severe Hypertriglyceridemia and Acute Pancreatitis Risk Reduction Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Several follow-up articles highlighted the FDA approval and market impact, but they largely reflect the same catalyst already driving the stock. Article: Ionis’ Tryngolza approved by the FDA
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data showed no meaningful change, offering little additional trading signal for investors. Article: Short interest update

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.