Allene Diaz Sells 54,878 Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Stock

Key Points

• Director Allene Diaz sold 54,878 shares at an average price of $79.35 (≈$4.35M), reducing her holding by 93.51% to 3,811 shares, per an SEC filing.
• Other senior insiders also cut positions — EVP C. Frank Bennett sold 85,089 shares (≈$6.74M) and EVP Shannon L. Devers sold 20,106 shares (≈$1.60M), indicating notable insider selling.
• Shares fell 5.4% to $75.16 after Ionis reported a quarterly EPS miss (‑$1.41 vs. ‑$1.23 est.) despite revenue beating at $203M; analysts remain mixed with a consensus "Moderate Buy" and an average target of $89.00.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS - Get Free Report) Director Allene Diaz sold 54,878 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.35, for a total value of $4,354,569.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,811 shares in the company, valued at approximately $302,402.85. This represents a 93.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 5.4%

NASDAQ IONS traded down $4.29 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $75.16. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,969,718 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,316,031. The company has a market capitalization of $12.42 billion, a PE ratio of -30.80 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a current ratio of 3.83, a quick ratio of 3.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.76. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $23.95 and a 52 week high of $86.74. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $81.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $72.89.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported ($1.41) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.23) by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $203.00 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($0.66) EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -3.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 28th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Leerink Partners upped their price target on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays began coverage on Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $95.00 price target for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $89.00.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Leerink Partners raised its price target on IONS to $104, a bullish signal that can support the stock. Leerink Raises PT
• Positive Sentiment: H.C. Wainwright maintained a "Buy" rating and a $110 price target while updating EPS forecasts (mixed quarter-by-quarter changes but a modestly improved FY2026 view), which can underpin longer-term investor confidence. HC Wainwright Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: HC Wainwright published detailed EPS revisions for FY2026 and quarterly estimates (some quarters revised up, Q4 trimmed versus a prior view); the net impact is modestly positive for estimates but reflects continued negative EPS expectations for the year. HC Wainwright Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: EVP C. Frank Bennett sold 85,089 shares at an average ~$79.23 (≈$6.74M), cutting his stake by ~51%. Large insider selling can signal liquidity-taking or reduced insider conviction and often pressures the stock. Bennett SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Shannon L. Devers sold 20,106 shares at an average ~$79.40 (~$1.60M), reducing her position by ~47%, another notable insider exit. Devers SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Director Allene M. Diaz sold 54,878 shares at an average ~$79.35 (~$4.35M), leaving a very small residual holding (≈93.5% reduction), which is a material reduction from board-level ownership. Diaz SEC Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Biogen announced upcoming presentations of new SMA data (high‑dose nusinersen, salanersen) — positive news for Biogen that could increase competitive pressure in SMA, an area relevant to Ionis’ pipeline. Biogen SMA Data

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 198.4% during the 3rd quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 376 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. bought a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 231.8% in the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 740 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 517 shares during the period. 93.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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