Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Stock Price Expected to Rise, HC Wainwright Analyst Says

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) had its target price hoisted by stock analysts at HC Wainwright from $110.00 to $120.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the stock. HC Wainwright’s target price suggests a potential upside of 61.64% from the company’s previous close. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ FY2027 earnings at ($0.35) EPS.

IONS has been the subject of several other reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $73.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $86.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 9th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley set a $95.00 target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Leerink Partners boosted their price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $90.15.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Up 2.1%

NASDAQ:IONS opened at $74.24 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $78.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $75.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -30.43 and a beta of 0.31. The company has a current ratio of 3.83, a quick ratio of 3.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.76. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a 1-year low of $23.95 and a 1-year high of $86.74.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported ($1.41) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.23) by ($0.18). Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 68.82% and a negative net margin of 40.36%.The business had revenue of $203.33 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $156.07 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($0.66) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Ionis Pharmaceuticals will post -3.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Ionis Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP Shannon L. Devers sold 44,199 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.08, for a total transaction of $3,760,450.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 17,494 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,488,389.52. This trade represents a 71.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP C Frank Bennett sold 85,089 shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.93, for a total transaction of $7,056,430.77. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 80,293 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,658,698.49. This trade represents a 51.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 1,035,882 shares of company stock valued at $80,492,247 in the last ninety days. 2.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth about $2,340,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 66.1% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 862,593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,431,000 after acquiring an additional 343,409 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $17,790,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 1,669.0% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 312,297 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,430,000 after purchasing an additional 294,643 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynasty Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth approximately $938,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.86% of the company’s stock.

More Ionis Pharmaceuticals News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $106 and moved to an “overweight” rating, implying roughly ~43% upside from current levels — a clear catalyst for buying interest. Barclays PT raise (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: 247WallSt summarized Barclays’ bullish thesis (calls for a ~45% move to $106), reinforcing the same positive narrative and helping momentum among growth/biotech investors. Why Barclays Thinks Ionis Is Headed for a 45% Surge
• Positive Sentiment: Needham raised its target to $105 and kept a “buy” rating, adding to the cluster of upward revisions that make the stock appealing to traders chasing analyst-led breakouts. Needham PT raise (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright boosted its target to $120 and reiterated a Buy, and its analyst also modeled a much improved FY‑2027 EPS (-$0.35 vs. much deeper consensus losses), signaling expectations for near‑term improvement in profitability assumptions. HC Wainwright research note (MarketBeat)
• Positive Sentiment: MSN reports Ionis repriced a drug ahead of a key FDA decision, which the company frames as positioning the therapy for a larger commercial market — a strategic move that could lift revenue assumptions if the FDA outcome is favorable. Ionis repriced drug ahead of FDA decision (MSN)
• Neutral Sentiment: A comparative head‑to‑head writeup vs. Innate Pharma provides market context but doesn’t add a direct catalyst; useful for longer‑term investors researching relative positioning. Head to Head Analysis (AmericanBankingNews)
• Negative Sentiment: Company insider Eugene Schneider sold 5,812 shares — a modest-sized sale that investors may watch for pattern changes but likely not material on its own. Insider sale report (AmericanBankingNews)

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.