Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) CEO Brett Monia Sells 21,072 Shares

Key Points

• CEO Brett Monia sold 21,072 Ionis shares on June 25 at an average price of $78.49, generating about $1.65 million. The sale was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, and his direct holdings fell 7.9% to 245,571 shares.
• Ionis shares rose 3.6% to $81.18 in Friday trading, with volume running above average. The stock has traded between $39.37 and $86.74 over the past year and currently carries a market cap of about $13.42 billion.
• The company recently posted better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of -$0.56 versus the -$0.85 estimate and revenue of $246.1 million, up 86.4% year over year. Analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $102.90.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS - Get Free Report) CEO Brett Monia sold 21,072 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.49, for a total value of $1,653,941.28. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 245,571 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,274,867.79. This represents a 7.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 3.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:IONS traded up $2.84 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $81.18. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,828,233 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,762,614. The firm has a market cap of $13.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -39.22 and a beta of 0.37. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $75.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $77.36. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $39.37 and a 1 year high of $86.74. The company has a quick ratio of 4.09, a current ratio of 4.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS - Get Free Report) last released 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. 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $195.56 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.93) earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 86.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -3.64 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Ionis Pharmaceuticals

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of IONS. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 72.5% during the first 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 raised its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 6.4% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 659,435 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,895,000 after acquiring an additional 39,794 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 30.1% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 9,832 shares of the company's stock valued at $297,000 after acquiring an additional 2,277 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 2nd quarter worth $220,000. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 47.8% in the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 9,254 shares of the company's stock valued at $341,000 after purchasing an additional 2,991 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.86% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on IONS shares. 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 began coverage on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, April 20th. They set a "buy" rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating and set a $108.00 price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $100.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $102.90.

Key Stories Impacting Ionis Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: Ionis received FDA approval expanding TRYNGOLZA to treat severe hypertriglyceridemia, strengthening the drug’s commercial opportunity and making it the first approved therapy for the condition. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Ionis announced a licensing deal with Recordati for ex-U.S. rights to zilganersen in Alexander disease, which provides upfront and royalty potential while allowing Ionis to keep U.S. commercialization rights. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Leerink Partners raised its price target on Ionis, signaling continued analyst confidence in the company’s pipeline and commercial execution. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: HC Wainwright kept a Buy rating but lowered some 2027 EPS estimates, which is a mild headwind but not a major shift in the firm’s overall view. Article Title

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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