Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Price Target Raised to $106.00

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) had its target price increased by Barclays from $95.00 to $106.00 in a research report report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on IONS. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Needham & Company LLC boosted their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $86.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $90.15.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of IONS opened at $72.15 on Thursday. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a twelve month low of $23.95 and a twelve month high of $86.74. The company has a market capitalization of $11.92 billion, a P/E ratio of -29.57 and a beta of 0.31. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $78.90 and a 200 day moving average of $75.71. The company has a quick ratio of 3.81, a current ratio of 3.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.76.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported ($1.41) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($1.23) by ($0.18). The business had revenue of $203.33 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $156.07 million. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 40.36% and a negative return on equity of 68.82%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.66) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Ionis Pharmaceuticals will post -3.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ionis Pharmaceuticals

In other Ionis Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Kyle Jenne sold 37,277 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.85, for a total value of $2,827,460.45. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 11,714 shares in the company, valued at approximately $888,506.90. This trade represents a 76.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Eugene Schneider sold 5,812 shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.97, for a total transaction of $412,477.64. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 63,890 shares in the company, valued at $4,534,273.30. This represents a 8.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 1,035,882 shares of company stock valued at $80,492,247 in the last quarter. Insiders own 2.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of IONS. Capital World Investors raised its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 41.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 17,961,299 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,420,918,000 after buying an additional 5,238,571 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. grew its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 253.3% during the 2nd quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 3,800,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $150,138,000 after acquiring an additional 2,724,400 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 19,941.6% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,321,345 shares of the company’s stock valued at $104,532,000 after acquiring an additional 1,314,752 shares during the period. Baker BROS. Advisors LP increased its holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 216.1% in the 4th quarter. Baker BROS. Advisors LP now owns 1,791,841 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,753,000 after acquiring an additional 1,225,043 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP raised its stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 7,219.3% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 958,829 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,727,000 after acquiring an additional 945,729 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.86% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Ionis Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $106 and maintained an “overweight” rating, arguing for roughly 45% upside from current levels — a near-term catalyst if investors follow the bank’s thesis. Barclays PT Raise
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright reiterated a Buy rating and models FY2027 EPS of ($0.35) with a $120 price objective, signaling bullish institutional expectations for recovery and long-term value. HC Wainwright Report
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple independent broker notes (Needham, Barclays coverage summarized by financial outlets) point to strong upside and price appreciation potential based on portfolio progress and pipeline monetization. Needham Forecast
• Neutral Sentiment: Ionis repriced a drug ahead of a key FDA decision — a sign it’s positioning for a larger commercial market but also introduces execution risk if approval or launch dynamics differ from expectations. Monitor pricing, label and launch plans for impact. MSN Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparative analyses (Ionis vs. Innate Pharma) provide context but are unlikely to move the stock materially unless they reveal concrete partnership or competitive shifts. Head-to-Head Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks highlights that IONS is down since the last earnings release—investors remain concerned after the recent quarter showed a larger EPS miss, negative margins and revenue headwinds despite some revenue beats, keeping short-term sentiment pressured. Zacks Coverage

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.