Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Given New $54.00 Price Target at Needham & Company LLC

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) had its target price decreased by Needham & Company LLC from $86.00 to $54.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. Needham & Company LLC currently has a buy rating on the stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on IONS. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday. Guggenheim cut their price target on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $89.00 to $80.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, September 8th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating and set a $54.00 price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ionis Pharmaceuticals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $85.33.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 21.4%

Shares of NASDAQ IONS opened at $31.00 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $46.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.63. The company has a market capitalization of $5.15 billion, a PE ratio of -8.96 and a beta of 0.43. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a 12-month low of $27.75 and a 12-month high of $86.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07, a current ratio of 7.89 and a quick ratio of 7.73.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 9th. The company reported ($0.66) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.23) by $0.57. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 64.76% and a negative return on equity of 111.08%. The business had revenue of $242.72 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $178.17 million. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.80) EPS. The company’s revenue was up 54.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Ionis Pharmaceuticals will post -3.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Shannon Devers sold 1,357 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.54, for a total transaction of $59,083.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 17,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $775,490.94. This represents a 7.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Company insiders own 1.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 3.7% in the first quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 4,429 shares of the company’s stock worth $333,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 7.4% in the second quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 2,926 shares of the company’s stock valued at $232,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 7.6% in the second quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 4,084 shares of the company’s stock valued at $324,000 after acquiring an additional 287 shares in the last quarter. Grandfield & Dodd LLC boosted its stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Grandfield & Dodd LLC now owns 37,396 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,670,000 after acquiring an additional 319 shares during the last quarter. Finally, North Dakota State Investment Board boosted its stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board now owns 5,035 shares of the company’s stock valued at $225,000 after acquiring an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. 93.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Ionis Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue increased 54.8% year over year to $242.7 million, exceeding analysts’ expectations, while the $0.66-per-share loss was narrower than the $1.23 loss forecast. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: DAWNZERA sales rose 40% to $37 million in the quarter, offering evidence of growth in another commercial product. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Ionis issued 2026 total revenue guidance of $875 million to $900 million, below analysts’ $920.8 million consensus estimate; the company also reaffirmed its full-year guidance. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: The main concern is TRYNGOLZA: Ionis cut its 2026 sales outlook to about $50 million, down from its prior $100 million–$110 million target, citing a slower launch. The sharp reduction raises doubts about the drug’s near-term commercial potential and overshadowed the earnings beat. Read More.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

Ionis Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company that discovers and develops RNA-targeted medicines, with a focus on antisense oligonucleotides. Its medicines are designed to act on RNA and change the production of proteins linked to disease. The company’s research and development programs span neurological, cardiovascular, metabolic and rare diseases.

Ionis has developed medicines that it commercializes itself and products advanced or marketed with pharmaceutical partners. Its medicines and partnered products include treatments for conditions such as spinal muscular atrophy and transthyretin amyloidosis.