HC Wainwright Has Pessimistic Outlook of IONS Q1 Earnings

Key Points

• HC Wainwright slightly lowered its Q1 2027 EPS estimate for Ionis Pharmaceuticals to a loss of $0.71 per share from a loss of $0.70, while keeping a Buy rating and a $125 price target.
• Ionis recently reported stronger-than-expected Q1 results, posting a loss of $0.56 per share versus the expected $0.85 loss and revenue of $246.09 million, well above estimates. Revenue also rose 86.4% from the same quarter last year.
• Despite the beat, the stock has been under pressure, with recent analyst target cuts, insider selling, and negative sentiment tied to a Phase 3 failure in Wainua weighing on investor confidence.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS - Free Report) - HC Wainwright decreased their Q1 2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report released on Friday, July 10th. HC Wainwright analyst M. Kapoor now anticipates that the company will earn ($0.71) per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of ($0.70). HC Wainwright currently has a "Buy" rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for Ionis Pharmaceuticals' current full-year earnings is ($3.73) per share. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Ionis Pharmaceuticals' Q2 2027 earnings at ($0.65) EPS and FY2027 earnings at ($1.11) EPS.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 business had revenue of $246.09 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $195.56 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.93) EPS. Ionis Pharmaceuticals's revenue for the quarter was up 86.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Ionis Pharmaceuticals from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price objective on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $110.00 to $95.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $130.00 to $110.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $113.00 to $90.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ionis Pharmaceuticals presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $96.05.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 2.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:IONS opened at $56.75 on Tuesday. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a one year low of $40.03 and a one year high of $86.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.38 billion, a PE ratio of -27.42 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75, a current ratio of 4.10 and a quick ratio of 4.09. The company's 50-day moving average price is $75.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $77.08.

Insider Activity at Ionis Pharmaceuticals

In other Ionis Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Patrick R. O'neil sold 3,069 shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Friday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $245,520.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 61,470 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,917,600. The trade was a 4.76% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Holly B. Kordasiewicz sold 362 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.30, for a total value of $30,516.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 22,096 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,862,692.80. This trade represents a 1.61% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 244,038 shares of company stock valued at $19,139,399 over the last quarter. 1.81% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IONS. Jain Global LLC lifted its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 3,037.4% in the third quarter. Jain Global LLC now owns 225,739 shares of the company's stock worth $14,768,000 after buying an additional 218,544 shares during the period. DAVENPORT & Co LLC grew its stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 248.3% in the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 217,897 shares of the company's stock worth $17,238,000 after purchasing an additional 155,334 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 548.7% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 33,409 shares of the company's stock worth $2,643,000 after purchasing an additional 28,259 shares in the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 51.7% during the fourth quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 42,394 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,354,000 after buying an additional 14,455 shares during the period. Finally, BlueCrest Capital Management Ltd bought a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,529,000. 93.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Ionis Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: Ionis started dosing the first participant in its Phase 1/2 ASCEND study of ION337 for Dravet syndrome, which adds another development-stage program to its pipeline and could support long-term optionality. Ionis doses first participant in Phase 1-2 ASCEND study of ION337 in Dravet syndrome
• Neutral Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada lowered its price target on Ionis Pharmaceuticals to $85 from $100, but kept an “outperform” rating, signaling continued optimism while acknowledging higher near-term risk. RBC lowers Ionis price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts remained split on Ionis, with some commentary highlighting mixed sentiment across healthcare names rather than a clear fundamental change. Analysts Have Conflicting Sentiments on These Healthcare Companies: Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS) and Guardant Health (GH)
• Neutral Sentiment: An investment-law firm announced an investigation into Ionis Pharmaceuticals, which adds headline risk and could keep sentiment cautious until more details emerge. IONS Investor Alert: Levi & Korsinsky Notifies Investors of an Investigation Into Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS)
• Negative Sentiment: Ionis was hit hard after Wainua missed its Phase 3 endpoint, a setback that hurt confidence in the company’s pipeline and appears to be the biggest driver behind the stock’s decline today. The Phase 3 Failure That Sent Biotech Winners and Losers in Opposite Directions (IONS)
• Negative Sentiment: A director sold about $863,682 of stock, which can weigh on investor confidence when combined with the company’s recent clinical setback. Ionis Pharmaceuticals NASDAQ: IONS Director Sells $863,681.62 in Stock

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

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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