230,016 Shares in Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) Bought by Aquatic Capital Management LLC

Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 230,016 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,041,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC owned about 0.15% of Ionis Pharmaceuticals at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IONS. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 967.2% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 141,917 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,961,000 after buying an additional 128,619 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 222.5% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 23,927 shares of the company's stock worth $836,000 after acquiring an additional 16,508 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 21,826 shares of the company's stock worth $763,000 after acquiring an additional 373 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 10,994 shares of the company's stock worth $384,000 after buying an additional 1,101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at about $829,000. 93.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 4.1 %

Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock traded up $1.31 during trading on Friday, reaching $33.02. The company's stock had a trading volume of 724,438 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,545,578. The company has a quick ratio of 8.82, a current ratio of 8.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $23.95 and a 52-week high of $52.34. The company has a market cap of $5.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.86 and a beta of 0.29. The firm's 50-day moving average is $30.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.71.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported ($0.93) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.07) by $0.14. The company had revenue of $132.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $144.31 million. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 64.25% and a negative return on equity of 100.05%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted ($0.98) earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -3.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

IONS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Guggenheim dropped their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. StockNews.com raised shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Needham & Company LLC reduced their price objective on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup lowered their target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $67.00 to $64.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $47.00 to $45.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $56.67.

Insider Transactions at Ionis Pharmaceuticals

In related news, CEO Brett P. Monia sold 38,843 shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.65, for a total value of $1,229,380.95. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 180,683 shares in the company, valued at $5,718,616.95. This trade represents a 17.69 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Patrick R. O'neil sold 6,165 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.62, for a total transaction of $194,937.30. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 57,452 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,816,632.24. This trade represents a 9.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 47,035 shares of company stock worth $1,487,181 over the last quarter. 2.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Profile

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc discovers and develops RNA-targeted therapeutics in the United States. The company offers SPINRAZA for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in pediatric and adult patients; TEGSEDI, an antisense injection for the treatment of polyneuropathy caused by hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis in adults; and WAYLIVRA, an antisense medicine for treatment for familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS) and familial partial lipodystrophy.