HC Wainwright Issues Negative Estimate for IONS Earnings

Key Points

• HC Wainwright lowered its Q3 2027 EPS estimate for Ionis Pharmaceuticals to $0.05 from $0.11, while keeping a Buy rating and a $130 price target on the stock.
• Ionis recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting a smaller-than-expected loss of $0.56 per share and revenue of $246.09 million, which was well above analyst estimates.
• Recent catalysts for the company include the FDA approval of TRYNGOLZA for severe hypertriglyceridemia and a license agreement with Recordati for zilganersen outside the U.S., both of which could support future growth.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS - Free Report) - Investment analysts at HC Wainwright dropped their Q3 2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, June 25th. HC Wainwright analyst M. Kapoor now expects that the company will post earnings per share of $0.05 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.11. HC Wainwright currently has a "Buy" rating and a $130.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Ionis Pharmaceuticals' current full-year earnings is ($3.64) per share. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Ionis Pharmaceuticals' Q4 2027 earnings at $0.22 EPS.

IONS has been the subject of several other research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group initiated coverage on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, April 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $110.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $108.00 price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $111.00 price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $102.90.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of IONS stock opened at $78.34 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75, a quick ratio of 4.09 and a current ratio of 4.10. The firm has a market cap of $12.95 billion, a P/E ratio of -37.85 and a beta of 0.37. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $74.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $77.33. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a one year low of $39.37 and a one year high of $86.74.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ionis Pharmaceuticals news, Director Spencer R. Berthelsen sold 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.49, for a total value of $587,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 156,013 shares in the company, valued at $11,465,395.37. The trade was a 4.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Kyle Jenne sold 4,902 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.17, for a total value of $368,483.34. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 23,713 shares in the company, valued at $1,782,506.21. This represents a 17.13% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 93,914 shares of company stock worth $6,941,424 over the last three months. 1.81% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ionis Pharmaceuticals

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Jain Global LLC lifted its stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 3,037.4% in the third quarter. Jain Global LLC now owns 225,739 shares of the company's stock valued at $14,768,000 after buying an additional 218,544 shares during the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC grew its position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 248.3% during the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 217,897 shares of the company's stock worth $17,238,000 after acquiring an additional 155,334 shares during the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 230.4% in the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 878,155 shares of the company's stock valued at $57,449,000 after acquiring an additional 612,362 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 548.7% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 33,409 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,643,000 after purchasing an additional 28,259 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DCF Advisers LLC raised its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 18.2% in the 3rd quarter. DCF Advisers LLC now owns 108,413 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,092,000 after purchasing an additional 16,663 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.86% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Ionis Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approved TRYNGOLZA for severe hypertriglyceridemia, broadening its label and opening a larger commercial market as the only approved treatment for this condition. Article: TRYNGOLZA® (olezarsen) approved by the FDA as the first and only treatment to reduce triglycerides and the risk of acute pancreatitis in patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia (sHTG)
• Positive Sentiment: Leerink Partners raised its price target on Ionis to $129 from $122 and reiterated an outperform rating, signaling stronger expectations for TRYNGOLZA-driven growth. Article: Benzinga report on Leerink price target increase
• Positive Sentiment: Ionis announced a license agreement with Recordati for zilganersen outside the U.S., which could provide additional partnership revenue and global development support for its rare-disease pipeline. Article: Ionis announces license agreement with Recordati for zilganersen in Alexander disease (AxD) in all countries outside the U.S.
• Neutral Sentiment: Ionis held a transcript discussion on the FDA approval of TRYNGOLZA, reinforcing the company’s bullish messaging around the new label expansion. Article: Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (IONS) Discusses FDA Approval of TRYNGOLZA for Severe Hypertriglyceridemia and Acute Pancreatitis Risk Reduction Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Several follow-up articles highlighted the FDA approval and market impact, but they largely reflect the same catalyst already driving the stock. Article: Ionis’ Tryngolza approved by the FDA
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data showed no meaningful change, offering little additional trading signal for investors. Article: Short interest update

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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