Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Acquires 16,504 Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $IONS

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) by 1.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,434,995 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,504 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned 0.87% of Ionis Pharmaceuticals worth $107,077,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of IONS. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. bought a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the third quarter valued at about $44,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. 93.86% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Ionis Pharmaceuticals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, May 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $115.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Barclays increased their price objective 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. Finally, Raymond James Financial started coverage on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, April 10th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $104.00 target price for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $102.90.

Key Stories Impacting Ionis Pharmaceuticals

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 Stock Performance

NASDAQ:IONS opened at $81.18 on Monday. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $39.37 and a 12 month high of $86.74. The company has a current ratio of 4.10, a quick ratio of 4.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -39.22 and a beta of 0.37. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $75.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $77.33.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported ($0.56) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.85) by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $246.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $195.56 million. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 30.91% and a negative return on equity of 58.65%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 86.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.93) earnings per share. Analysts expect that Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -3.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ionis Pharmaceuticals

In other Ionis Pharmaceuticals news, EVP Eric Swayze sold 10,602 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.18, for a total value of $839,466.36. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 21,759 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,722,877.62. This represents a 32.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through 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 that occurred on Friday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.41, for a total value of $4,466,704.86. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 22,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,648,641.78. This trade 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. Insiders sold 190,153 shares of company stock worth $14,606,373 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.81% of the company’s stock.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals 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.