Wells Fargo & Company Has Lowered Expectations for Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Stock Price

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) had its price objective dropped by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $100.00 to $95.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price indicates a potential upside of 83.50% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on IONS. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their price objective on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $110.00 to $95.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 10th. HC Wainwright reduced their target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Citigroup decreased their target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $115.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered their price target on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $106.00 to $89.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $94.85.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ IONS opened at $51.77 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $8.56 billion, a PE ratio of -14.96 and a beta of 0.36. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $69.55 and a 200 day moving average of $74.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07, a quick ratio of 4.09 and a current ratio of 7.89. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a one year low of $40.03 and a one year high of $86.74.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported ($0.56) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.85) by $0.29. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 64.76% and a negative return on equity of 111.08%. The business had revenue of $246.09 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $195.56 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.93) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 86.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Ionis Pharmaceuticals will post -3.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP C Frank Bennett sold 5,536 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.58, for a total transaction of $462,698.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 75,018 shares in the company, valued at $6,270,004.44. The trade was a 6.87% decrease in their position. The sale 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, CEO Brett P. Monia sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 245,571 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,790,566.89. This trade represents a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 233,163 shares of company stock worth $18,316,551 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the first quarter worth about $30,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. 93.86% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Ionis beat Wall Street’s second-quarter revenue and earnings expectations, helped by commercial growth despite difficult year-over-year comparisons. Management also reaffirmed its 2026 outlook, supporting confidence in the company’s operating trajectory. Zacks Q2 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Director Michael R. Hayden bought 15,000 shares for approximately $800,700 on July 30 and another 5,000 shares for $258,000 on July 31. The purchases materially increased his ownership and may be viewed as a signal of confidence in Ionis’s valuation and prospects. SEC insider-trading filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo lowered its price target from $100 to $95 while maintaining an “overweight” rating. The reduced target reflects more cautious valuation expectations, but the rating remains bullish. Benzinga analyst report
• Neutral Sentiment: HC Wainwright cut its target from $125 to $115 but retained a “buy” rating, similarly indicating lower near-term valuation expectations while maintaining a positive view of the stock. StreetInsider analyst report
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP announced an investigation into potential claims on behalf of Ionis investors. Although the announcement does not establish wrongdoing, it adds legal and reputational uncertainty and may weigh on sentiment. Pomerantz investor alert

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.