Ground Swell Capital LLC Takes $547,000 Position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $IONS

Ground Swell Capital LLC acquired a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 7,285 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $547,000. Ionis Pharmaceuticals accounts for approximately 1.1% of Ground Swell Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in IONS. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 14.9% during the 1st quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 33,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,529,000 after purchasing an additional 4,357 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 89.5% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 63,295 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,753,000 after buying an additional 29,886 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 23.7% during the fourth quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 2,726 shares of the company’s stock worth $216,000 after buying an additional 523 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 3,184.3% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 216,438 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,122,000 after buying an additional 209,848 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Axxcess Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $228,000. 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: Ionis received FDA approval expanding TRYNGOLZA to treat severe hypertriglyceridemia, strengthening the drug’s commercial opportunity and making it the first approved therapy for the condition. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Ionis announced a licensing deal with Recordati for ex-U.S. rights to zilganersen in Alexander disease, which provides upfront and royalty potential while allowing Ionis to keep U.S. commercialization rights. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Leerink Partners raised its price target on Ionis, signaling continued analyst confidence in the company’s pipeline and commercial execution. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: HC Wainwright kept a Buy rating but lowered some 2027 EPS estimates, which is a mild headwind but not a major shift in the firm’s overall view. Article Title

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 3.6%

Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $81.18 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.42 billion, a PE ratio of -39.22 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75, a current ratio of 4.10 and a quick ratio of 4.09. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $75.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $77.36. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $39.37 and a 52-week high of $86.74.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported ($0.56) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.85) by $0.29. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 30.91% and a negative return on equity of 58.65%. The company had revenue of $246.09 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $195.56 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.93) EPS. The business’s revenue was up 86.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -3.64 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Ionis Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP Shannon L. Devers sold 6,193 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.05, for a total value of $458,591.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 16,348 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,210,569.40. This represents a 27.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Holly B. Kordasiewicz sold 60,846 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.41, for a total transaction of $4,466,704.86. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 22,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,648,641.78. This represents a 73.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 190,153 shares of company stock valued at $14,606,373. Corporate insiders own 1.81% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on IONS. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $87.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $106.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, May 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $115.00 price objective for the company. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Raymond James Financial began coverage on Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, April 10th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $104.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ionis Pharmaceuticals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $102.90.

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.