Insider Buying: Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Director Purchases $258,000.00 in Stock

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) Director Michael Hayden purchased 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 31st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $51.60 per share, with a total value of $258,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 24,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,238,400. The trade was a 26.32% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ IONS opened at $51.77 on Monday. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $40.03 and a fifty-two week high of $86.74. The company has a market cap of $8.60 billion, a PE ratio of -14.96 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07, a quick ratio of 7.73 and a current ratio of 7.89. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $74.52.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on IONS shares. Leerink Partners boosted their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $122.00 to $129.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. HC Wainwright lowered their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $130.00 to $110.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $94.85.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the first quarter worth $30,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth $38,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the fourth quarter valued at $47,000. 93.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Ionis Pharmaceuticals News

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.