Brett Monia Sells 62,970 Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Stock

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) CEO Brett Monia sold 62,970 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.72, for a total value of $5,208,878.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 283,927 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,486,441.44. This represents a 18.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 1.8%

NASDAQ IONS opened at $84.59 on Wednesday. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $23.95 and a 52 week high of $86.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 2.78 and a current ratio of 2.79. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $80.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $67.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -50.05 and a beta of 0.29.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $82.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $89.00 price objective (up previously from $85.00) on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $90.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $82.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.45.

Key Ionis Pharmaceuticals News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Several Wall Street firms have raised targets or maintained upbeat ratings recently (Bank of America, Oppenheimer, Raymond James), which supports upside expectations and helps underpin the stock. MarketBeat IONS coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Some institutions increased or established positions in Q4 (e.g., Pictet, M&T Bank, Comerica), signaling continued institutional interest and reducing concern that sales are systemically negative. Institutional holdings details
• Neutral Sentiment: Insiders still retain large stakes after the trades (CEO and several EVPs continue to hold meaningful share counts), which can indicate rebalancing rather than full exits. CEO SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Brett P. Monia sold 62,970 shares (~$5.2M) at ~\$82.72, reducing his stake by ~18%. A sale of this magnitude by the CEO is likely weighing on near‑term sentiment. CEO Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple executive VPs (including C. Frank Bennett, Brian Birchler, Eric Swayze, Patrick O’Neil, Elizabeth Hougen, Eugene Schneider) sold ~5.9–7.0k shares each in late January at low‑$80s prices. The pattern of coordinated small‑block insider sales increases share supply and can pressure momentum traders. Bennett Filing

Institutional Trading of Ionis Pharmaceuticals

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CWM LLC grew its stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,488 shares of the company’s stock valued at $163,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 5,536 shares of the company’s stock worth $460,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 198.4% in the third quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 376 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 0.6% during the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 48,545 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,176,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the period. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.86% of the company’s stock.

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.