Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Given New $95.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Key Points

• Wells Fargo lowered Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ price target from $100 to $95 while maintaining an “overweight” rating, implying 78.64% potential upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive: 18 analysts rate the stock a Buy, three recommend Hold, and one recommends Sell, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and average price target of $94.85.
• Ionis reported a narrower-than-expected quarterly loss and revenue well above estimates, but the stock remains unprofitable and has faced recent price-target reductions and insider selling.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS - Get Free Report) had its price objective dropped by stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $100.00 to $95.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price target would indicate a potential upside of 78.64% from the company's previous close.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target 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, July 10th. HC Wainwright reduced their price objective on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, July 17th. Leerink Partners boosted their target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $122.00 to $129.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $87.00 target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ionis Pharmaceuticals has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $94.85.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of IONS stock traded down $0.86 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $53.18. 175,038 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,417,082. The company has a market capitalization of $8.79 billion, a PE ratio of -25.71 and a beta of 0.36. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a 12-month low of $40.03 and a 12-month high of $86.74. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $70.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $74.92. The company has a current ratio of 4.10, a quick ratio of 4.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported ($0.56) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.85) by $0.29. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 30.91% and a negative return on equity of 58.65%. The firm had revenue of $246.09 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $195.56 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($0.93) EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 86.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Ionis Pharmaceuticals will post -3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Eric Swayze sold 10,602 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.18, for a total transaction of $839,466.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 21,759 shares in the company, valued at $1,722,877.62. This represents a 32.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Brett P. Monia sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 26th. The stock was 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 directly owned 245,571 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,790,566.89. The trade was a 16.92% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 233,163 shares of company stock valued at $18,316,551. 1.81% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ionis Pharmaceuticals

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of IONS. Capital World Investors raised its stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 41.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 17,961,299 shares of the company's stock worth $1,420,918,000 after buying an additional 5,238,571 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 19,941.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,321,345 shares of the company's stock worth $104,532,000 after acquiring an additional 1,314,752 shares during the period. Baker BROS. Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 216.1% during the 4th quarter. Baker BROS. Advisors LP now owns 1,791,841 shares of the company's stock worth $141,753,000 after acquiring an additional 1,225,043 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 7,219.3% in the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 958,829 shares of the company's stock worth $62,727,000 after acquiring an additional 945,729 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,223,000. Institutional investors own 93.86% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Ionis Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results exceeded expectations. Ionis reported a quarterly loss, but the loss per share was narrower than consensus estimates, while revenue of approximately $268 million substantially topped analysts’ forecasts near $189 million. The company also highlighted progress across key development programs. Ionis Reports Q2 Loss, Tops Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright maintained a Buy rating. The firm lowered its price target from $125 to $115, but the revised target still implies substantial upside from recent trading levels. The reduction likely reflects more cautious assumptions following recent clinical setbacks rather than a change to its bullish rating. Ionis Pharmaceuticals Price Target Lowered
• Positive Sentiment: Olezarsen development is expanding. Ionis began or advanced a Phase 3 study evaluating olezarsen in children with familial chylomicronemia syndrome, supporting the company’s rare-disease pipeline and potential future commercial opportunities. Ionis Expands Rare Disease Reach With Pediatric FCS Trial for Olezarsen
• Neutral Sentiment: Chief Scientific Officer Frank Bennett plans to retire. The leadership transition could draw investor attention, though the immediate effect depends on Ionis’ succession plans and continuity of research operations. Ionis Announces Frank Bennett Retirement
• Negative Sentiment: Clinical and legal risks continue to weigh on the stock. Ionis and AstraZeneca’s late-stage heart-disease therapy trial failed to meet its target, triggering a sharp selloff. Investor-rights law firms are now investigating whether disclosures about the trial were adequate; these are allegations, not findings of wrongdoing. Ionis Faces Investor Scrutiny After Trial Failure
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue comparisons were mixed. Although quarterly revenue beat estimates, it was reported as materially lower year over year, and Ionis remains unprofitable. That combination may limit the positive reaction to the earnings beat. Ionis 2026 Q2 Results Presentation

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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