Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Price Target Raised to $76.00

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) had its price objective increased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $72.00 to $76.00 in a report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the stock.

IONS has been the subject of several other reports. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $115.00 to $100.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 10th. HC Wainwright dropped their price target on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $69.00 price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 1st. Finally, Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $100.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $94.65.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:IONS opened at $54.19 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 7.73, a current ratio of 7.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a 12-month low of $40.03 and a 12-month high of $86.74. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $68.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $74.02. The firm has a market cap of $9.01 billion, a PE ratio of -15.66 and a beta of 0.41.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Michael R. Hayden bought 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 30th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $53.38 per share, with a total value of $800,700.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 19,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,014,220. The trade was a 375.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Brett P. Monia sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.59, for a total transaction 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 represents a 16.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 233,163 shares of company stock valued at $18,316,551. Corporate insiders own 1.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ionis Pharmaceuticals

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 51.7% during the 4th quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 42,394 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,354,000 after purchasing an additional 14,455 shares during the period. Florida Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,944,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 19,941.6% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,321,345 shares of the company’s stock worth $104,532,000 after purchasing an additional 1,314,752 shares during the period. Baker BROS. Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 216.1% in the 4th quarter. Baker BROS. Advisors LP now owns 1,791,841 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,753,000 after purchasing an additional 1,225,043 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp boosted its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 1,372.7% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 88,510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,002,000 after purchasing an additional 82,500 shares during the last quarter. 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: JPMorgan reportedly expects Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ stock to rise, providing a bullish counterpoint to the recent weakness. Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says
• Neutral Sentiment: HC Wainwright maintained its Buy rating and $115 price target, well above recent trading levels. The firm modestly raised its FY2026 loss estimate to $3.41 per share from $3.45, suggesting slightly improved expectations for that year.
• Negative Sentiment: HC Wainwright lowered its EPS forecasts for multiple periods, including Q3 2026 to a $1.14 loss from $1.06, Q4 2026 to a $1.02 loss from $0.83, and FY2027 to a $1.27 loss from $1.11. Estimates for Q1 and Q2 2027 were also reduced, signaling that profitability may take longer to develop despite the firm’s bullish rating.
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP announced an investigation into potential claims on behalf of Ionis investors. Although the announcement does not establish wrongdoing, the legal inquiry adds reputational and headline risk to the stock. Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims on Behalf of Investors of Ionis Pharmaceuticals

About Ionis Pharmaceuticals

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.