Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) Price Target Lowered to $95.00 at Wells Fargo & Company

Posted by Geri Gentry on Jul 30th, 2026

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS – Get Free Report) had its price target decreased by equities research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $100.00 to $95.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 78.64% from the company’s current price.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on IONS. Guggenheim cut their price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $106.00 to $89.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Raymond James Financial set a $87.00 target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $130.00 to $110.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Wall Street Zen raised Ionis Pharmaceuticals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $69.00 price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research report on Wednesday. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $94.85.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:IONS traded down $0.86 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $53.18. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 175,038 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,417,082. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $70.48 and a 200-day moving average of $74.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.79 billion, a P/E ratio of -25.71 and a beta of 0.36. 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 has a 12-month low of $40.03 and a 12-month high of $86.74.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported ($0.56) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.85) by $0.29. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 30.91% and a negative return on equity of 58.65%. The company had revenue of $246.09 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $195.56 million. During the same period last year, the company posted ($0.93) EPS. Ionis Pharmaceuticals’s revenue was up 86.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Ionis Pharmaceuticals will post -3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ionis Pharmaceuticals

In other news, Director Allene M. Diaz sold 10,111 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.42, for a total transaction of $863,681.62. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,811 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $325,535.62. This represents a 72.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP C Frank Bennett sold 5,536 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.58, for a total value of $462,698.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 75,018 shares in the company, valued at $6,270,004.44. This trade represents a 6.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 233,163 shares of company stock worth $18,316,551. Insiders own 1.81% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of IONS. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 41.2% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 17,961,299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,420,918,000 after acquiring an additional 5,238,571 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 19,941.6% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,321,345 shares of the company’s stock worth $104,532,000 after acquiring an additional 1,314,752 shares during the period. Baker BROS. Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 216.1% during the fourth quarter. Baker BROS. Advisors LP now owns 1,791,841 shares of the company’s stock valued at $141,753,000 after purchasing an additional 1,225,043 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 7,219.3% during the third quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 958,829 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,727,000 after purchasing an additional 945,729 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals during the third quarter valued at approximately $41,223,000. Institutional investors own 93.86% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Ionis Pharmaceuticals

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

Positive Sentiment: Q2 results exceeded expectations. Ionis reported a quarterly loss, but the loss per share was narrower than consensus estimates, while revenue of approximately $268 million substantially topped analysts’ forecasts near $189 million. The company also highlighted progress across key development programs. Ionis Reports Q2 Loss, Tops Revenue Estimates
Positive Sentiment: HC Wainwright maintained a Buy rating. The firm lowered its price target from $125 to $115, but the revised target still implies substantial upside from recent trading levels. The reduction likely reflects more cautious assumptions following recent clinical setbacks rather than a change to its bullish rating. Ionis Pharmaceuticals Price Target Lowered
Positive Sentiment: Olezarsen development is expanding. Ionis began or advanced a Phase 3 study evaluating olezarsen in children with familial chylomicronemia syndrome, supporting the company’s rare-disease pipeline and potential future commercial opportunities. Ionis Expands Rare Disease Reach With Pediatric FCS Trial for Olezarsen
Neutral Sentiment: Chief Scientific Officer Frank Bennett plans to retire. The leadership transition could draw investor attention, though the immediate effect depends on Ionis’ succession plans and continuity of research operations. Ionis Announces Frank Bennett Retirement
Negative Sentiment: Clinical and legal risks continue to weigh on the stock. Ionis and AstraZeneca’s late-stage heart-disease therapy trial failed to meet its target, triggering a sharp selloff. Investor-rights law firms are now investigating whether disclosures about the trial were adequate; these are allegations, not findings of wrongdoing. Ionis Faces Investor Scrutiny After Trial Failure
Negative Sentiment: Revenue comparisons were mixed. Although quarterly revenue beat estimates, it was reported as materially lower year over year, and Ionis remains unprofitable. That combination may limit the positive reaction to the earnings beat. Ionis 2026 Q2 Results Presentation

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.