Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Given New $70.00 Price Target at HC Wainwright

Key Points

• HC Wainwright cut its Ionis price target from $100 to $70 but maintained a Buy rating; the new target implies 125.8% upside from the stock’s current price.
• Analysts overall have a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with an average price target of $85.33, while Ionis shares were reported down 21.4% and opened at $31.
• Ionis beat quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, with revenue up 54.8% year over year, but cut its 2026 TRYNGOLZA sales outlook to about $50 million from $100 million–$110 million, citing a slower launch.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS - Get Free Report) had its price objective cut by investment analysts at HC Wainwright from $100.00 to $70.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the stock. HC Wainwright's price target would suggest a potential upside of 125.81% from the company's current price.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the company. Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $85.00 target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $110.00 to $104.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $69.00 to $56.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $76.00 to $70.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $85.33.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 21.4%

NASDAQ IONS opened at $31.00 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 7.73, a current ratio of 7.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a 52 week low of $27.75 and a 52 week high of $86.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.15 billion, a PE ratio of -8.96 and a beta of 0.43. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $46.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $65.63.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 9th. The company reported ($0.66) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.23) by $0.57. The business had revenue of $242.72 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $178.17 million. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 64.76% and a negative return on equity of 111.08%. The company's revenue was up 54.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.80) EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Ionis Pharmaceuticals will post -3.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Ionis Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP Shannon Devers sold 1,357 shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 17,811 shares in the company, valued at $775,490.94. This trade represents a 7.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 1.81% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. Silvant Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at about $43,000. Archer Investment Corp purchased a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.86% of the company's stock.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals News Summary

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.

About Ionis Pharmaceuticals

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.

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