Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. $IONS is Tweedy Browne Co LLC’s Largest Position

Tweedy Browne Co LLC lessened its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) by 15.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,464,930 shares of the company’s stock after selling 436,286 shares during the quarter. Ionis Pharmaceuticals comprises approximately 15.7% of Tweedy Browne Co LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Tweedy Browne Co LLC’s holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals were worth $195,001,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 12,722,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $832,321,000 after purchasing an additional 182,540 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 1,418,491 shares of the company’s stock valued at $112,476,000 after purchasing an additional 25,367 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 190.3% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,372,225 shares of the company’s stock valued at $89,771,000 after purchasing an additional 899,476 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 45.9% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,154,166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,506,000 after purchasing an additional 363,094 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vestal Point Capital LP increased its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 115.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vestal Point Capital LP now owns 1,075,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,326,000 after purchasing an additional 575,000 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.86% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $106.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $103.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $100.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $110.00 to $108.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group assumed coverage on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Monday, April 20th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $110.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $99.35.

Key Stories Impacting Ionis Pharmaceuticals

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

• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright keeps a Buy rating and a $125 price target and projects a return to positive quarterly EPS in parts of 2027 (Q3 2027 $0.11; Q4 2027 $0.26) — this bullish view and high target can drive upside expectations. HC Wainwright coverage (MarketBeat)
• Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright raised some near-term estimates (FY2026 EPS improved to -$3.05 from -$3.27, and Q4 2026 was revised to -$0.73 from -$0.84), signaling expected improvement in losses — a constructive near-term change. HC Wainwright coverage (MarketBeat)
• Positive Sentiment: RBC Capital published a Buy on IONS, adding independent broker support for upside. Ionis Receives a Buy from RBC Capital
• Neutral Sentiment: Ionis will hold a virtual Annual Meeting and corporate update on June 4 — a routine event that could provide incremental corporate guidance but is neutral on its own. Annual Meeting notice (BusinessWire)
• Neutral Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus maintained a Hold rating on IONS, providing counterbalance to Buy calls — a neutral/contrasting view for investors weighing consensus. Stifel Keep Hold
• Negative Sentiment: Offsetting some optimism, HC Wainwright cut its FY2027 EPS forecast (now -$0.81 from -$0.35) and lowered Q3 2026 expectations to -$0.90 (from -$0.80), which signals downside risk to near-term profitability and tempers enthusiasm. HC Wainwright coverage (MarketBeat)

Insider Buying and Selling at Ionis Pharmaceuticals

In other news, CEO Brett P. Monia sold 126,670 shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.20, for a total transaction of $9,525,584.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 242,662 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,248,182.40. The trade was a 34.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Kyle Jenne sold 37,277 shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.85, for a total value of $2,827,460.45. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 11,714 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $888,506.90. This represents a 76.09% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 666,443 shares of company stock worth $50,623,742. Insiders own 2.71% of the company’s stock.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Trading Up 0.2%

NASDAQ:IONS opened at $75.45 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $12.47 billion, a PE ratio of -36.45 and a beta of 0.38. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $31.66 and a 52-week high of $86.74. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $75.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $77.35.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported ($0.56) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.85) by $0.29. The business had revenue of $246.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $195.57 million. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative return on equity of 58.65% and a negative net margin of 30.91%.The business’s revenue was up 86.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted ($0.93) EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -4.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.