Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC Acquires New Shares in Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS)

Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 213,015 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,447,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC owned about 0.13% of Ionis Pharmaceuticals as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 160.0% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 949 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 584 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 193.5% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 951 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 627 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 183.8% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,036 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 671 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth $107,000. Finally, Stevens Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter valued at $205,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.86% of the company's stock.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of IONS traded up $1.07 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $32.78. The stock had a trading volume of 1,889,924 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,554,307. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $23.95 and a 52 week high of $52.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.78 and a beta of 0.29. The company's fifty day moving average is $30.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12, a current ratio of 8.47 and a quick ratio of 8.82.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported ($0.93) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.07) by $0.14. The company had revenue of $132.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $144.31 million. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 64.25% and a negative return on equity of 100.05%. The company's revenue was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.98) earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -3.5 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ionis Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Patrick R. O'neil sold 6,165 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.62, for a total value of $194,937.30. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 57,452 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,816,632.24. This trade represents a 9.69 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Brett P. Monia sold 38,843 shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $31.65, for a total value of $1,229,380.95. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 180,683 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,718,616.95. The trade was a 17.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 47,035 shares of company stock valued at $1,487,181. Insiders own 2.71% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

IONS has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. HC Wainwright raised their price target on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Needham & Company LLC lowered their target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Guggenheim cut their price target on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $65.00 to $64.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $56.67.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Profile

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.