IONIS PHARMACEUTICALS INC IONS
COM · Common Stock · CUSIP 462222100 · ISIN US4622221004
American pharmaceutical company
- SectorHealth care
- IndustryPharmaceutical Preparations
- HeadquartersCarlsbad, CA
- Founded1989
- Websiteionispharma.com
- FilingsSEC EDGAR
* Summed across managers. Shares that two managers' reports both contain – a subsidiary's holdings that its parent's report includes too, or a sub-adviser's in its client's – are counted once ($14.6m this quarter). Holder counts are more reliable. Shares outstanding: 146.2m as of 2024-07-26, from the company's own SEC filing; the percentage can still exceed 100%: lent-out shares are counted by the lender and the buyer, and some reports overlap without saying so. Implied quarter-end price ≈ $47.66. Options: 21 managers hold calls ($119.3m notional), 14 hold puts ($40.1m).
Trends to Q2 2024
Institutional holders
Managers reporting a position, each quarter
Numbers
| Quarter | Holders |
|---|---|
| Q3 2022 | 350 |
| Q4 2022 | 339 |
| Q1 2023 | 316 |
| Q2 2023 | 307 |
| Q3 2023 | 313 |
| Q4 2023 | 366 |
| Q1 2024 | 362 |
| Q2 2024 | 358 |
Buyers vs sellers
Managers adding to or starting a position, vs cutting or selling out
Numbers
| Quarter | Bought or added | Cut or sold out |
|---|---|---|
| Q4 2022 | 155 | 161 |
| Q1 2023 | 120 | 180 |
| Q2 2023 | 128 | 154 |
| Q3 2023 | 138 | 129 |
| Q4 2023 | 175 | 143 |
| Q1 2024 | 169 | 179 |
| Q2 2024 | 168 | 182 |
Calls vs puts
Options held, notional value, last 4 quarters. P/C = puts ÷ calls
Numbers
| Quarter | Calls | Puts | P/C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 2023 | $29.2m | $20.7m | 0.71 |
| Q4 2023 | $36.1m | $34.5m | 0.95 |
| Q1 2024 | $53.5m | $31.5m | 0.59 |
| Q2 2024 | $119.3m | $40.1m | 0.34 |
Biggest buyers
| Capital World Investors | Added | +1.4m |
| Artisan Partners Limited Partnership | Added | +1.3m |
| Balyasny Asset Management L.P. | New | +1.1m |
| WELLINGTON MANAGEMENT GROUP LLP | Added | +873.1k |
| BVF INC/IL | Added | +757.8k |
| Deep Track Capital, LP | Added | +626.5k |
| Logos Global Management LP | New | +600.0k |
| Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC | Added | +552.8k |
| BlackRock Inc. | Added | +549.1k |
| CITADEL ADVISORS LLC | Added | +549.0k |
Biggest sellers
| MORGAN STANLEY | Reduced | -2.5m |
| Clearbridge Investments, LLC | Reduced | -2.3m |
| Pictet Asset Management Holding SA | Reduced | -1.3m |
| MACQUARIE GROUP LTD | Reduced | -1.3m |
| FARALLON CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, L.L.C. | Reduced | -729.2k |
| T. Rowe Price Investment Management, Inc. | Reduced | -677.4k |
| MILLENNIUM MANAGEMENT LLC | Reduced | -455.0k |
| First Turn Management, LLC | Sold out | -421.5k |
| Cutter Capital Management, LP | Reduced | -418.6k |
| Squarepoint Ops LLC | Reduced | -308.4k |
Biggest calls
| Integral Health Asset Management, LLC | New | $23.8m500.0k shares |
| SUSQUEHANNA INTERNATIONAL GROUP, LLP | Added | $18.5m388.3k shares |
| Caption Management, LLC | New | $15.7m329.3k shares |
| J. Goldman & Co LP | Added | $14.3m299.2k shares |
| ROYAL BANK OF CANADA | Added | $8.3m174.3k shares |
| CITADEL ADVISORS LLC | Added | $6.9m145.2k shares |
| LMR Partners LLP | New | $5.0m105.0k shares |
| JPMORGAN CHASE & CO | Reduced | $4.2m88.8k shares |
| SIMPLEX TRADING, LLC | Added | $4.1m85.4k shares |
| Parallax Volatility Advisers, L.P. | New | $2.9m61.6k shares |
Biggest puts
| JPMORGAN CHASE & CO | Added | $13.2m277.4k shares |
| J. Goldman & Co LP | New | $6.9m145.0k shares |
| SUSQUEHANNA INTERNATIONAL GROUP, LLP | Reduced | $5.8m121.7k shares |
| Caption Management, LLC | New | $4.3m90.0k shares |
| CITADEL ADVISORS LLC | Added | $2.6m55.2k shares |
| Walleye Capital LLC | Added | $1.8m37.6k shares |
| JANE STREET GROUP, LLC | Reduced | $1.2m26.0k shares |
| SIMPLEX TRADING, LLC | Reduced | $1.0m21.9k shares |
| Walleye Trading LLC | Reduced | $1.0m21.0k shares |
| WOLVERINE TRADING, LLC | Added | $953.2k20.0k shares |
Options at notional value: the value of the shares the contracts control, as filers report them, not what the options cost. Not included in the holders, shares or buying above.
Major shareholders (over 5%)
Anyone who owns more than 5% of a class of the company's shares has to say so: on Schedule 13D if they may try to influence or control the company, on 13G if they're a passive investor, and update it as the stake changes. Each holder's latest filing, from 19 Dec 2024 on; percentages are of the share class, as the holder worked them out.
| Holder | Stake |
|---|---|
| Capital World Investors 13G · institution +1.7 pts · filed 2026-05-14 | 12.8% |
| BlackRock, Inc. 13G · institution filed 2025-04-17 | 5.7% |
| VANGUARD CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC 13G · institution new · filed 2026-04-30 | 5.0% |
Fell to 5% or below in the last year: T. Rowe Price Investment Management, Inc. (3.7%, 2026-05-15), VANGUARD GROUP INC (0.0%, 2026-03-27; now reported by VANGUARD CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC)
Insider purchases and sales in Q2 2024
Shares bought or sold by the company's own officers, directors and 10% owners, in the open market or privately, as they reported to the SEC on Form 4 (due within two business days of the trade). Grants, option exercises, shares withheld for tax and gifts aren't included.
Officers and directors buying vs selling
Number of people, by quarter (10% owners not included)
Numbers
| Quarter | Buying | Bought | Selling | Sold | Sold under a plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 2022 | 0 | — | 2 | $71.5k | — |
| Q4 2022 | 0 | — | 0 | — | — |
| Q1 2023 | 0 | — | 10 | $4.7m | — |
| Q2 2023 | 0 | — | 5 | $522.0k | $261.6k |
| Q3 2023 | 0 | — | 5 | $1.7m | $1.6m |
| Q4 2023 | 0 | — | 8 | $15.0m | $14.9m |
| Q1 2024 | 0 | — | 10 | $7.1m | $897.3k |
| Q2 2024 | 0 | — | 4 | $1.1m | $900.9k |
| Date | Insider | Trade | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-06-17 | BERTHELSEN SPENCER R Director | Sold plan | $644.6k16.0k shares |
| 2024-05-03 | KLEIN JOSEPH III Director · by Trust | Sold plan | $256.3k6.0k shares |
| 2024-04-16 | Baroldi Joseph EVP, Chief Business Officer | Sold | $166.6k4.0k shares |
| 2024-04-16 | Birchler Brian EVP, Corp and Development Ops | Sold | $37.7k905 shares |
Their holding: how much the trade added to or took from the insider's holding (direct, or the trust or fund named). The same trade is sometimes reported by more than one insider, such as a fund and the director who represents it; totals count it once. A value is left blank where the reported price is far from the market price (usually a typo).
Holders, Q2 2024
| Manager | Shares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| FMR LLC 0.07% of their portfolio | 21.9m $1.0bn | Added +32.1k |
| VANGUARD GROUP INC 0.01% of their portfolio | 13.8m $659.9m | Added +415.3k |
| T. Rowe Price Investment Management, Inc. 0.38% of their portfolio | 12.6m $602.4m | Reduced -677.4k |
| BlackRock Inc. 0.01% of their portfolio | 10.3m $491.9m | Added +549.1k |
| Bellevue Group AG 6.40% of their portfolio | 8.3m $393.7m | Reduced -39.1k |
| WELLINGTON MANAGEMENT GROUP LLP 0.06% of their portfolio | 6.6m $313.1m | Added +873.1k |
| STATE STREET CORP 0.01% of their portfolio | 4.2m $199.7m | Added +34.8k |
| PRICE T ROWE ASSOCIATES INC /MD/ 0.02% of their portfolio | 3.9m $187.5m | Added +412.1k |
| Tweedy, Browne Co LLC 7.57% of their portfolio | 3.5m $164.6m | Unchanged |
| BVF INC/IL 4.26% of their portfolio | 3.2m $151.9m | Added +757.8k |
| GEODE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC 0.01% of their portfolio | 2.5m $118.4m | Added +120.3k |
| Pictet Asset Management Holding SA 0.13% of their portfolio | 2.4m $114.9m | Reduced -1.3m |
| ORBIMED ADVISORS LLC 2.25% of their portfolio | 2.4m $113.1m | Added +359.3k |
| Capital World Investors 0.02% of their portfolio | 2.3m $107.3m | Added +1.4m |
| Clearbridge Investments, LLC 0.08% of their portfolio | 2.2m $103.0m | Reduced -2.3m |
| Deep Track Capital, LP 2.85% of their portfolio | 2.0m $95.3m | Added +626.5k |
| MACQUARIE GROUP LTD 0.10% of their portfolio | 1.9m $89.3m | Reduced -1.3m |
| Artisan Partners Limited Partnership 0.12% of their portfolio | 1.7m $79.6m | Added +1.3m |
| ARK Investment Management LLC 0.58% of their portfolio | 1.4m $64.9m | Reduced -38.8k |
| CHARLES SCHWAB INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC 0.01% of their portfolio | 1.3m $63.3m | Added +26.7k |
| TWO SIGMA ADVISERS, LP 0.14% of their portfolio | 1.3m $61.3m | Added +247.0k |
| JPMORGAN CHASE & CO 0.00% of their portfolio | 1.2m $56.6m | Reduced -73.8k |
| Balyasny Asset Management L.P. 0.13% of their portfolio | 1.1m $51.3m | New |
| TWO SIGMA INVESTMENTS, LP 0.12% of their portfolio | 1.0m $49.0m | Reduced -55.7k |
| NORGES BANK 0.01% of their portfolio | 1.0m $48.6m | Reduced -217.7k |
| MORGAN STANLEY 0.00% of their portfolio | 1.0m $48.3m | Reduced -2.5m |
| Invesco Ltd. 0.01% of their portfolio | 968.9k $46.2m | Added +526.0k |
| TD Asset Management Inc 0.04% of their portfolio | 952.8k $45.4m | Added +54.4k |
| Candriam S.C.A. 0.27% of their portfolio | 948.3k $45.2m | Added +36.4k |
| AXA S.A. 0.07% of their portfolio | 929.9k $44.3m | Added +465.1k |
| ADAGE CAPITAL PARTNERS GP, L.L.C. 0.07% of their portfolio | 800.0k $38.1m | Reduced -200.0k |
| BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. 0.10% of their portfolio | 780.8k $37.2m | Added +2.2k |
| Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC 0.27% of their portfolio | 723.6k $34.5m | Added +552.8k |
| NORTHERN TRUST CORP 0.01% of their portfolio | 718.0k $34.2m | Added +25.7k |
| ROYAL BANK OF CANADA 0.01% of their portfolio | 678.4k $32.3m | Reduced -53.9k |
| Man Group plc 0.08% of their portfolio | 633.4k $30.2m | Added +380.2k |
| CITADEL ADVISORS LLC 0.03% of their portfolio | 627.0k $29.9m | Added +549.0k |
| BARCLAYS PLC 0.01% of their portfolio | 615.7k $29.3m | Added +38.3k |
| Logos Global Management LP 1.66% of their portfolio | 600.0k $28.6m | New |
| Bank of New York Mellon Corp 0.01% of their portfolio | 597.5k $28.5m | Added +13.9k |
| JACOBS LEVY EQUITY MANAGEMENT, INC 0.11% of their portfolio | 572.9k $27.3m | Added +1.1k |
| BANK OF AMERICA CORP /DE/ 0.00% of their portfolio | 514.5k $24.5m | Reduced -91.8k |
| NOMURA HOLDINGS INC 0.15% of their portfolio | 501.2k $23.9m | Added +30.4k |
| Eversept Partners, LP 1.67% of their portfolio | 456.9k $21.8m | Added +80.4k |
| PINNACLE ASSOCIATES LTD 0.34% of their portfolio | 453.4k $21.6m | Reduced -6.4k |
| Squarepoint Ops LLC 0.08% of their portfolio | 436.8k $20.8m | Reduced -308.4k |
| Nuveen Asset Management, LLC 0.01% of their portfolio | 410.4k $19.6m | Reduced -12.6k |
| GROUPAMA ASSET MANAGMENT 0.25% of their portfolio | 380.0k $18.1m | Added +122.1k |
| WELLS FARGO & COMPANY/MN 0.00% of their portfolio | 366.6k $17.5m | Reduced -217.6k |
| Hudson Bay Capital Management LP 0.13% of their portfolio | 366.0k $17.4m | Added +30.5k |
| GREAT POINT PARTNERS LLC 3.01% of their portfolio | 330.0k $15.7m | New |
| GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC 0.00% of their portfolio | 328.3k $15.6m | Added +127.9k |
| UBS AM, a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC 0.00% of their portfolio | 320.3k $15.3m | Added +134.0k |
| C WorldWide Group Holding A/S 0.15% of their portfolio | 300.0k $14.3m | Unchanged |
| MANUFACTURERS LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, THE 0.01% of their portfolio | 274.9k $13.1m | Added +29.8k |
| Corient Private Wealth LP 0.02% of their portfolio | 268.0k $12.8m | Added +746 |
| BAILLIE GIFFORD & CO 0.01% of their portfolio | 260.3k $12.4m | Reduced -35.4k |
| Swiss National Bank 0.01% of their portfolio | 258.0k $12.3m | Added +3.1k |
| KENNEDY CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC 0.26% of their portfolio | 254.3k $12.1m | Added +4.8k |
| Integral Health Asset Management, LLC 1.19% of their portfolio | 250.0k $11.9m | New |
| RENAISSANCE TECHNOLOGIES LLC 0.02% of their portfolio | 249.5k $11.9m | Added +69.8k |
| Privium Fund Management B.V. 2.85% of their portfolio | 247.3k $11.2m | Added +20.3k |
| Aberdeen Group plc 0.02% of their portfolio | 246.9k $11.8m | Added +27.5k |
| TOCQUEVILLE ASSET MANAGEMENT L.P. 0.18% of their portfolio | 225.1k $10.7m | Added +65.7k |
| BANK OF MONTREAL /CAN/ 0.00% of their portfolio | 220.5k $10.5m | Reduced -2.3k |
| Orion Investment Co 4.15% of their portfolio | 218.6k $10.4m | First filing |
| STIFEL FINANCIAL CORP 0.01% of their portfolio | 216.1k $10.3m | Reduced -26.3k |
| NEW YORK STATE COMMON RETIREMENT FUND 0.01% of their portfolio | 215.7k $10.3m | Added +83.0k |
| ExodusPoint Capital Management, LP 0.11% of their portfolio | 209.2k $10.0m | Reduced -6.7k |
| Zimmer Partners, LP 0.18% of their portfolio | 200.0k $9.5m | Reduced -70.3k |
| Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group, Inc. 0.01% of their portfolio | 199.2k $9.5m | Reduced -21.0k |
| Amova Asset Management Americas, Inc. 0.11% of their portfolio | 199.2k $9.5m | Reduced -21.0k |
| California Public Employees Retirement System 0.01% of their portfolio | 196.5k $9.4m | Reduced -7.5k |
| Sicart Associates LLC 3.50% of their portfolio | 191.5k $9.1m | Reduced -2.5k |
| D. E. Shaw & Co., Inc. 0.01% of their portfolio | 190.8k $9.1m | Added +30.3k |
| ALTRINSIC GLOBAL ADVISORS LLC 0.40% of their portfolio | 187.8k $9.0m | Reduced -7.0k |
| BNP PARIBAS FINANCIAL MARKETS 0.01% of their portfolio | 185.9k $8.9m | Reduced -8.4k |
| JANE STREET GROUP, LLC 0.01% of their portfolio | 179.2k $8.5m | Added +61.1k |
| RHUMBLINE ADVISERS 0.01% of their portfolio | 178.1k $8.5m | Reduced -1.3k |
| MARSHALL WACE, LLP 0.01% of their portfolio | 173.2k $8.3m | Added +157.8k |
| SECTOR GAMMA AS 3.03% of their portfolio | 170.0k $8.1m | Reduced -5.5k |
| Rafferty Asset Management, LLC 0.03% of their portfolio | 168.9k $8.0m | Reduced -39.6k |
| Parkman Healthcare Partners LLC 1.05% of their portfolio | 161.7k $7.7m | Added +20.2k |
| Cutter Capital Management, LP 2.33% of their portfolio | 160.2k $7.6m | Reduced -418.6k |
| Caption Management, LLC 0.81% of their portfolio | 160.0k $7.6m | New |
| HRT FINANCIAL LP 0.04% of their portfolio | 159.7k $7.6m | Added +93.2k |
| BLB&B Advisors, LLC 0.40% of their portfolio | 153.8k $7.3m | Added +7.7k |
| UBS Group AG 0.00% of their portfolio | 152.7k $7.3m | Reduced -19.1k |
| STATE BOARD OF ADMINISTRATION OF FLORIDA RETIREMENT SYSTEM 0.01% of their portfolio | 151.1k $7.2m | Reduced -4.1k |
| Sonora Investment Management Group, LLC 0.51% of their portfolio | 150.8k $6.5m | Unchanged |
| TANG CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC 0.73% of their portfolio | 150.0k $7.1m | Unchanged |
| Legal & General Group Plc 0.00% of their portfolio | 147.6k $7.0m | Reduced -1.8k |
| SPHERA FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD. 1.09% of their portfolio | 140.2k $6.7m | New |
| Point72 Asset Management, L.P. 0.02% of their portfolio | 137.2k $6.5m | Reduced -149.4k |
| Russell Investments Group, Ltd. 0.01% of their portfolio | 132.7k $6.3m | Reduced -20.7k |
| SEI INVESTMENTS CO 0.01% of their portfolio | 132.3k $6.3m | Added +52.4k |
| PEREGRINE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC 0.18% of their portfolio | 132.0k $6.3m | Added +13.4k |
| Rhenman & Partners Asset Management AB 0.59% of their portfolio | 130.0k $6.2m | New |
| Amundi 0.00% of their portfolio | 129.5k $5.9m | Reduced -11.3k |
| Swedbank AB 0.01% of their portfolio | 129.4k $6.2m | Reduced -13.3k |