XTX Topco Ltd Buys 8,557 Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS)

XTX Topco Ltd raised its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) by 50.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,362 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 8,557 shares during the quarter. XTX Topco Ltd’s holdings in Ionis Pharmaceuticals were worth $887,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of IONS. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 160.0% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 949 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 584 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank grew its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 193.5% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 951 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 627 shares during the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 183.8% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,036 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 671 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $107,000. Finally, Stevens Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the 4th quarter valued at $205,000. 93.86% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:IONS opened at $28.35 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 8.47, a quick ratio of 8.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $23.95 and a 12-month high of $52.34. The company has a market cap of $4.51 billion, a PE ratio of -9.33 and a beta of 0.29. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $30.99 and a 200 day moving average of $34.39.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported ($0.66) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.12) by $0.46. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 64.25% and a negative return on equity of 100.05%. The firm had revenue of $227.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $140.97 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.12 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 30.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will post -3.5 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ionis Pharmaceuticals

In other Ionis Pharmaceuticals news, CEO Brett P. Monia sold 13,242 shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.45, for a total value of $429,702.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 219,526 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,123,618.70. The trade was a 5.69 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Patrick R. O’neil sold 6,165 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.62, for a total value of $194,937.30. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 57,452 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,816,632.24. The trade was a 9.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 62,487 shares of company stock valued at $1,991,166 over the last ninety days. 2.71% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on IONS. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $60.00 to $45.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $47.00 to $45.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 24th. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Friday, December 20th. Guggenheim restated a “buy” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, HC Wainwright began coverage on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Monday, April 7th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $45.00 target price for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $56.72.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Profile

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc discovers and develops RNA-targeted therapeutics in the United States. The company offers SPINRAZA for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in pediatric and adult patients; TEGSEDI, an antisense injection for the treatment of polyneuropathy caused by hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis in adults; and WAYLIVRA, an antisense medicine for treatment for familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS) and familial partial lipodystrophy.