HC Wainwright Has Lowered Expectations for Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Stock Price

Key Points

• HC Wainwright trimmed its price target on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $130 to $125 while keeping a buy rating, implying significant upside from the prior close despite the reduced target.
• The stock has faced broad analyst mixed signals, with recent target cuts from firms like Canaccord and Needham offset by upgrades and buy ratings from others; the consensus remains a “Moderate Buy” with an average target of $96.80.
• Ionis shares fell 6.5% to $60.08 amid recent disappointment from late-stage trial results for eplontersen and Wainua, while insider selling and trader bearish positioning have added to near-term pressure.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS - Get Free Report) had its target price cut by stock analysts at HC Wainwright from $130.00 to $125.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the stock. HC Wainwright's price objective points to a potential upside of 108.05% from the company's previous close.

IONS has been the topic of a number of other reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Canaccord Genuity Group decreased their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $110.00 to $95.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Leerink Partners boosted their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $122.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and issued a $108.00 target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $96.80.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 6.5%

Shares of IONS traded down $4.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $60.08. 2,147,609 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,220,887. The stock has a market cap of $9.93 billion, a P/E ratio of -29.06 and a beta of 0.36. The stock's 50-day moving average is $76.12 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.41. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a 12 month low of $40.03 and a 12 month high of $86.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75, a current ratio of 4.10 and a quick ratio of 4.09.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported ($0.56) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.85) by $0.29. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 58.65% and a negative net margin of 30.91%.The firm had revenue of $246.09 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $195.56 million. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.93) EPS. Ionis Pharmaceuticals's quarterly revenue was up 86.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Ionis Pharmaceuticals will post -3.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Brett P. Monia sold 50,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.59, for a total value of $4,029,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 245,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,790,566.89. This represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Allene M. Diaz sold 10,111 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.42, for a total value of $863,681.62. Following the sale, the director owned 3,811 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $325,535.62. This represents a 72.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 244,038 shares of company stock worth $19,139,399. 1.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ionis Pharmaceuticals

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in IONS. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 72.5% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 652,518 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,686,000 after buying an additional 274,310 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 6.4% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 659,435 shares of the company's stock worth $19,895,000 after acquiring an additional 39,794 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 30.1% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 9,832 shares of the company's stock worth $297,000 after acquiring an additional 2,277 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter worth about $220,000. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 47.8% during the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 9,254 shares of the company's stock valued at $341,000 after acquiring an additional 2,991 shares in the last quarter. 93.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Ionis Pharmaceuticals News

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

• Negative Sentiment: Ionis and AstraZeneca reported that the Phase 3 CARDIO-TTRansform trial of eplontersen in ATTR-CM did not meet its primary efficacy endpoint, a significant clinical disappointment that could hurt confidence in the drug’s commercial outlook. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters reported that AstraZeneca-Ionis’ Wainua failed to reduce cardiovascular deaths and recurring heart problems in a late-stage study, reinforcing concerns about the company’s cardiovascular franchise. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Unusually large put option buying suggests traders are positioning for more downside after the trial failure.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling by EVP Holly B. Kordasiewicz and Director Allene M. Diaz may add to near-term investor caution, even though the trades were made under pre-arranged 10b5-1 plans.
• Neutral Sentiment: Needham lowered its price target on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $105 to $86 while maintaining a Buy rating, and Canaccord Genuity cut its target from $110 to $95 but also kept a Buy rating, signaling reduced expectations but continued long-term optimism. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also issued FY 2026 revenue guidance of $875 million to $900 million, which appears broadly in line with consensus and may help offset some of the trial-related selling pressure.

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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