Eric Swayze Sells 6,179 Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Stock

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) EVP Eric Swayze sold 6,179 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.93, for a total transaction of $512,424.47. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 47,747 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,959,658.71. This represents a 11.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Eric Swayze also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Friday, January 16th, Eric Swayze sold 49 shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.97, for a total transaction of $3,722.53.
• On Friday, January 16th, Eric Swayze sold 9,884 shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.34, for a total transaction of $744,660.56.
• On Friday, January 2nd, Eric Swayze sold 23,463 shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.12, for a total transaction of $1,856,392.56.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 1.8%

NASDAQ:IONS opened at $84.59 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -50.05 and a beta of 0.29. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $23.95 and a 52 week high of $86.15. The company has a quick ratio of 2.78, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $80.42 and a 200 day moving average of $67.14.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 72.5% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 652,518 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,686,000 after purchasing an additional 274,310 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 6.4% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 659,435 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,895,000 after buying an additional 39,794 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth increased its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 30.1% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 9,832 shares of the company’s stock valued at $297,000 after buying an additional 2,277 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 46.9% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,030 shares of the company’s stock worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 648 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 15.6% during the 2nd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 6,148 shares of the company’s stock worth $243,000 after acquiring an additional 829 shares in the last quarter. 93.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Ionis Pharmaceuticals

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $70.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price target on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $78.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $82.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.45.

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.