UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Sells 427,056 Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC trimmed its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS - Free Report) by 40.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 619,641 shares of the company's stock after selling 427,056 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned about 0.39% of Ionis Pharmaceuticals worth $21,663,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 160.0% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 949 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 584 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank increased its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 193.5% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 951 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 627 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 183.8% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,036 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 671 shares in the last quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at about $62,000. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at about $107,000. 93.86% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Ionis Pharmaceuticals

In other Ionis Pharmaceuticals news, Director Michael R. Hayden purchased 15,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 1st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $31.86 per share, for a total transaction of $477,900.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 50,219 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,599,977.34. This represents a 42.59% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

IONS has been the subject of several analyst reports. HC Wainwright reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $50.00 price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their price objective on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $47.00 to $45.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $60.00 to $45.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ionis Pharmaceuticals has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $56.67.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 0.5%

NASDAQ IONS traded up $0.18 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $33.64. The stock had a trading volume of 1,654,650 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,565,506. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $23.95 and a 1 year high of $52.34. The stock has a market cap of $5.35 billion, a PE ratio of -11.07 and a beta of 0.15. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $30.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $32.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12, a current ratio of 8.47 and a quick ratio of 8.82.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported ($0.93) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.07) by $0.14. The company had revenue of $132.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 revenue for the quarter was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.98) EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -3.5 earnings per share for the current year.

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.