HC Wainwright Issues Negative Forecast for IONS Earnings

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) – Investment analysts at HC Wainwright dropped their Q2 2026 earnings estimates for Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report released on Thursday, June 25th. HC Wainwright analyst M. Kapoor now forecasts that the company will post earnings of ($1.00) per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of ($0.82). HC Wainwright currently has a “Buy” rating and a $130.00 target price on the stock. The consensus estimate for Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ current full-year earnings is ($3.69) per share. HC Wainwright also issued estimates for Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ Q3 2026 earnings at ($1.06) EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at ($0.83) EPS, FY2026 earnings at ($3.45) EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at ($0.70) EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at ($0.64) EPS and FY2027 earnings at ($1.07) EPS.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on IONS. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $108.00 price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Canaccord Genuity Group began coverage on Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Monday, April 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $110.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Raymond James Financial assumed coverage on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, April 10th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $104.00 price objective on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $102.90.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock opened at $81.18 on Monday. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a fifty-two week low of $39.37 and a fifty-two week high of $86.74. The firm has a market cap of $13.42 billion, a PE ratio of -39.22 and a beta of 0.37. The business’s fifty day moving average is $75.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.33. The company has a quick ratio of 4.09, a current ratio of 4.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported ($0.56) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.85) by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $246.09 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $195.56 million. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 30.91% and a negative return on equity of 58.65%. Ionis Pharmaceuticals’s revenue for the quarter was up 86.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.93) EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.86% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Brett P. Monia sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.59, for a total value of $4,029,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 245,571 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,790,566.89. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Spencer R. Berthelsen sold 8,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.49, for a total transaction of $587,920.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 156,013 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,465,395.37. This trade represents a 4.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 190,153 shares of company stock valued at $14,606,373. 1.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals News Summary

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 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.