Holly Kordasiewicz Sells 4,141 Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Stock

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) EVP Holly Kordasiewicz sold 4,141 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.66, for a total value of $313,308.06. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 14,718 shares in the company, valued at $1,113,563.88. This trade represents a 21.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 2.5%

IONS stock opened at $79.44 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.87 billion, a P/E ratio of -47.01 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $23.95 and a 12 month high of $86.15. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $79.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $64.43.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported ($0.80) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.15) by $0.35. The business had revenue of $156.72 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $131.75 million. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 26.45% and a negative return on equity of 44.26%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.95) EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -3.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on IONS shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $80.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $43.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $49.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ionis Pharmaceuticals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.45.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at about $215,000. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. bought a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter worth approximately $2,340,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at approximately $17,790,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 1,669.0% in the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 312,297 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,430,000 after buying an additional 294,643 shares during the period. Finally, Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd bought a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $10,650,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.86% of the company’s stock.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Olezarsen thesis: Analysts and media highlight an expected 2026 launch of olezarsen in severe hypertriglyceridemia (SHTG). The piece argues commercial approval/rollout could drive a substantial revenue inflection and is cited as the primary bullish catalyst for IONS. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage: Several firms have raised targets or maintained positive ratings (examples: Leerink raised its target, Raymond James reaffirmed “strong-buy”); consensus remains a Moderate Buy with a target around ~$87. These upgrades underpin optimistic expectations but are not a guarantee of near‑term moves. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical / flows: Intraday volume is well above typical averages and the shares sit above the 200‑day moving average but near the 50‑day—momentum may hinge on clinical/commercial milestones and further news on olezarsen.
• Negative Sentiment: Concentrated insider selling: Multiple senior executives, including CEO Brett Monia and several EVPs, disclosed large open‑market sales on Jan. 16 (aggregate roughly ~117k shares / several million dollars), reducing their holdings by double‑digit percentages in some cases. Such high‑profile selling can weigh on sentiment even if it reflects diversification or tax planning. Read More. • Read More.

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.