Leerink Partnrs Has Bearish Outlook for IONS FY2026 Earnings

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) – Equities researchers at Leerink Partnrs decreased their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report released on Monday, February 24th. Leerink Partnrs analyst M. Foroohar now expects that the company will earn ($3.25) per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of ($3.24). The consensus estimate for Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ current full-year earnings is ($3.50) per share. Leerink Partnrs also issued estimates for Ionis Pharmaceuticals’ FY2027 earnings at ($1.62) EPS.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported ($0.66) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.12) by $0.46. The company had revenue of $227.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $140.97 million. Ionis Pharmaceuticals had a negative net margin of 64.25% and a negative return on equity of 100.05%. The firm’s revenue was down 30.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.12 earnings per share.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on IONS. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, February 20th. StockNews.com cut shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals from $67.00 to $64.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $60.00.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Price Performance

IONS stock opened at $33.19 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $33.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $37.94. Ionis Pharmaceuticals has a 1 year low of $30.23 and a 1 year high of $52.34. The stock has a market cap of $5.28 billion, a PE ratio of -10.92 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a current ratio of 8.47, a quick ratio of 8.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12.

Insider Activity at Ionis Pharmaceuticals

In related news, EVP Eric Swayze sold 7,154 shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.84, for a total transaction of $234,937.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 45,670 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,499,802.80. The trade was a 13.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Patrick R. O’neil sold 6,165 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.62, for a total transaction of $194,937.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 57,452 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,816,632.24. This represents a 9.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 111,816 shares of company stock worth $3,603,914. Company insiders own 2.71% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ionis Pharmaceuticals

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Nicollet Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Nicollet Investment Management Inc. now owns 20,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $817,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 3.1% during the third quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 9,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $399,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. boosted its position in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 40.9% in the third quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. now owns 1,081 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 314 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 19,339 shares of the company’s stock valued at $676,000 after acquiring an additional 318 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its position in Ionis Pharmaceuticals by 6.6% during the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 5,865 shares of the company’s stock worth $205,000 after acquiring an additional 363 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.86% of the company’s stock.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Company 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.