Q1 EPS Forecast for Ionis Pharmaceuticals Cut by Analyst

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS - Free Report) - Analysts at Leerink Partnrs reduced their Q1 2025 earnings per share estimates for Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report released on Wednesday, April 16th. Leerink Partnrs analyst M. Foroohar now expects that the company will earn ($1.21) per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of ($1.18). The consensus estimate for Ionis Pharmaceuticals' current full-year earnings is ($3.50) per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for Ionis Pharmaceuticals' Q2 2025 earnings at ($0.76) EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at ($0.90) EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at ($0.73) EPS, FY2025 earnings at ($3.60) EPS, FY2026 earnings at ($2.67) EPS and FY2027 earnings at ($1.31) EPS.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported ($0.66) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.12) by $0.46. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 100.05% and a negative net margin of 64.25%. The company had revenue of $227.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $140.97 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.12 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 30.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. HC Wainwright initiated coverage on Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, April 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $45.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $60.00 to $45.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 20th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a "buy" rating and issued a $60.00 price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $56.72.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ IONS traded up $0.58 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $29.61. The stock had a trading volume of 411,892 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,517,710. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a twelve month low of $23.95 and a twelve month high of $52.34. The company's 50 day moving average price is $30.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $34.08. The firm has a market cap of $4.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.74 and a beta of 0.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12, a quick ratio of 8.82 and a current ratio of 8.47.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ionis Pharmaceuticals

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC bought a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter worth $151,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 1,722.5% in the first quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 3,244 shares of the company's stock valued at $98,000 after acquiring an additional 3,066 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 4.8% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 9,989 shares of the company's stock valued at $301,000 after acquiring an additional 458 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 3,786.5% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 28,993 shares of the company's stock valued at $961,000 after acquiring an additional 28,247 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 133,902 shares of the company's stock worth $4,681,000 after acquiring an additional 7,722 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.86% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Ionis Pharmaceuticals news, CEO Brett P. Monia sold 13,242 shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.45, for a total value of $429,702.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 219,526 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,123,618.70. The trade was a 5.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Elizabeth L. Hougen sold 1,523 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.44, for a total value of $49,406.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 110,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,584,620. The trade was a 1.36 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 63,167 shares of company stock valued at $2,010,458 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 2.71% of the company's stock.

About Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc discovers and develops RNA-targeted therapeutics in the United States. The company offers SPINRAZA for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in pediatric and adult patients; TEGSEDI, an antisense injection for the treatment of polyneuropathy caused by hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis in adults; and WAYLIVRA, an antisense medicine for treatment for familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS) and familial partial lipodystrophy.