Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ (IONS) “Buy” Rating Reiterated at Needham & Company LLC

Needham & Company LLC reissued their buy rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) in a research note released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Needham & Company LLC currently has a $86.00 target price on the stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on IONS. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Guggenheim lowered their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $106.00 to $89.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday. HC Wainwright reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, August 31st. Finally, Raymond James Financial set a $87.00 target price on Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $94.20.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

IONS stock opened at $58.09 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 7.89, a quick ratio of 7.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.07. The company’s 50 day moving average is $61.25 and its 200 day moving average is $70.49. The stock has a market cap of $9.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.79 and a beta of 0.42. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a 1-year low of $50.01 and a 1-year high of $86.74.

Insider Transactions at Ionis Pharmaceuticals

In other news, Director Allene Diaz sold 10,111 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.42, for a total value of $863,681.62. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 3,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $325,535.62. This represents a 72.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP C. Bennett sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.46, for a total transaction of $1,281,900.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 75,018 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,411,038.28. This represents a 16.66% 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 225,163 shares of company stock worth $17,711,191. Corporate insiders own 1.81% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. purchased a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Allworth Financial LP purchased a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Silvant Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the second quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.86% of the company’s stock.

More Ionis Pharmaceuticals News

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

• Positive Sentiment: The FDA approved ZANVASTRO (zilganersen) for pediatric and adult patients with Alexander disease, making it the first and only disease-modifying treatment for the ultra-rare, progressive neurological disorder. The approval could create a new commercial opportunity for Ionis and includes a priority review voucher, which may have additional strategic or financial value. ZANVASTRO FDA approval announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive following the approval. Needham reaffirmed its “buy” rating and set an $86 price target, while Barclays also maintained a buy recommendation. The analyst support signals confidence in ZANVASTRO’s launch potential and Ionis’ broader pipeline. Barclays maintains buy rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Ionis discussed its launch strategy for ZANVASTRO after the FDA decision. Investors are likely watching the size of the eligible patient population, pricing, reimbursement, commercial execution and the timing of revenue contributions. Ionis ZANVASTRO launch strategy transcript
• Negative Sentiment: A bearish Seeking Alpha analysis downgraded Ionis to “sell,” citing a series of unfavorable developments and concerns that may outweigh the near-term approval catalyst. Broader biotechnology sentiment was also affected by a failed Ultragenyx trial, adding volatility to the sector and weighing on Ionis despite its own regulatory success. Ionis bearish analysis

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.