STOCK TITAN

Ionis (NASDAQ: IONS) CEO sells 4,536 shares after option exercise

Filing Impact
(Neutral)
Filing Sentiment
(Neutral)
Form Type
4

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Ionis Pharmaceuticals Chief Executive Officer Brett P. Monia reported an exercise-and-sell transaction in company stock. On May 13–14, Monia exercised options to acquire a total of 4,536 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $32.60 per share, then sold the same number of shares in open-market trades at weighted average prices of about $78.01 and $78.68. The sales were carried out under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 Trading Plan adopted on December 8, 2025. Following these transactions, Monia directly holds 242,662 shares of Ionis common stock, indicating that only a small portion of the position was sold.

Positive

  • None.

Negative

  • None.
Insider Monia Brett P
Role Chief Executive Officer
Sold 4,536 shs ($356K)
Type Security Shares Price Value
Exercise Non-Qualified Stock Option (right to buy) 3,220 $0.00 --
Exercise Common Stock 3,220 $32.60 $105K
Sale Common Stock 3,220 $78.6793 $253K
Exercise Non-Qualified Stock Option (right to buy) 1,316 $0.00 --
Exercise Common Stock 1,316 $32.60 $43K
Sale Common Stock 1,316 $78.013 $103K
Holdings After Transaction: Non-Qualified Stock Option (right to buy) — 35,637 shares (Direct, null); Common Stock — 245,882 shares (Direct, null)
Footnotes (1)
  1. Shares sold pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 Trading Plan adopted by the reporting person on December 8, 2025 The price reported in Column 4 is a weighted average price. These shares were sold in multiple transactions at prices ranging from $78.00 to $78.025 inclusive. The reporting person undertakes to provide to Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. any security holder of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. or the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission, upon request, full information regarding the number of shares sold at each separate price within the ranges set forth in footnote (2) on this Form 4. The price reported in Column 4 is a weighted average price. These shares were sold in multiple transactions at prices ranging from $78.075 to $79.01 inclusive. The reporting person undertakes to provide to Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. any security holder of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. or the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission, upon request, full information regarding the number of shares sold at each separate price within the ranges set forth in footnote (3) on this Form 4.
Shares sold 4,536 shares Total open-market sales on May 13–14, 2026
Sale price May 13 $78.0130 per share Weighted average price for 1,316 shares sold
Sale price May 14 $78.6793 per share Weighted average price for 3,220 shares sold
Options exercised 4,536 shares Non-qualified stock options converted to common stock
Exercise price $32.60 per share Conversion price for exercised non-qualified stock options
Shares held after 242,662 shares Direct common stock ownership following transactions
Rule 10b5-1 Trading Plan regulatory
"Shares sold pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 Trading Plan adopted by the reporting person"
A Rule 10b5-1 trading plan is a pre-arranged schedule that allows company insiders to buy or sell stock at specific times, even if they have inside information. It helps prevent accusations of unfair trading by making these transactions look planned and transparent, rather than sneaky or illegal.
Non-Qualified Stock Option financial
"Non-Qualified Stock Option (right to buy) with a conversion or exercise price of $32.6000"
A non-qualified stock option (NSO) is a contract that lets an employee or service provider buy company shares at a fixed price for a set period, like a voucher to purchase stock later at today’s price. It matters to investors because exercising NSOs creates ordinary income for the holder and can increase share count, affecting a company’s earnings and ownership mix; think of it as a future sale that can dilute existing shareholders and has immediate tax consequences for the recipient.
weighted average price financial
"The price reported in Column 4 is a weighted average price. These shares were sold in multiple transactions"
Weighted average price is the average price of a security where each trade or component is counted according to its size, so bigger trades pull the average more than smaller ones. Think of it like calculating the average cost of a grocery haul where items you bought more of have greater influence on the final per-item cost. Investors use it to understand the true average price paid or received, judge execution quality, and compare trading performance against market movement.
SEC Form 4
FORM 4UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940
OMB APPROVAL
OMB Number:3235-0287
Estimated average burden
hours per response:0.5
Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).
X
Check this box to indicate that a transaction was made pursuant to a contract, instruction or written plan for the purchase or sale of equity securities of the issuer that is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c). See Instruction 10.
1. Name and Address of Reporting Person*
Monia Brett P

(Last)(First)(Middle)
2855 GAZELLE COURT

(Street)
CARLSBAD CALIFORNIA 92010

(City)(State)(Zip)

UNITED STATES

(Country)
2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
IONIS PHARMACEUTICALS INC [ IONS ]
5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)
XDirector10% Owner
XOfficer (give title below)Other (specify below)
Chief Executive Officer
2a. Foreign Trading Symbol
3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
05/13/2026
6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)
XForm filed by One Reporting Person
Form filed by More than One Reporting Person
4. If Amendment, Date of Original Filed (Month/Day/Year)

Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
1. Title of Security (Instr. 3) 2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)3. Transaction Code (Instr. 8) 4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed Of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5) 5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 3 and 4) 6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4) 7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
CodeVAmount(A) or (D)Price
Common Stock05/13/2026M1,316A$32.6243,978D
Common Stock05/13/2026S1,316(1)D$78.013(2)242,662D
Common Stock05/14/2026M3,220A$32.6245,882D
Common Stock05/14/2026S3,220(1)D$78.6793(3)242,662D
Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
(e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3) 2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security 3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)4. Transaction Code (Instr. 8) 5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5) 6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)7. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 3 and 4) 8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5) 9. Number of derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 4) 10. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4) 11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
CodeV(A)(D)Date ExercisableExpiration DateTitleAmount or Number of Shares
Non-Qualified Stock Option (right to buy)$32.605/13/2026M1,31601/03/202301/02/2032Common Stock1,316$0.038,857D
Non-Qualified Stock Option (right to buy)$32.605/14/2026M3,22001/03/202301/02/2032Common Stock3,220$0.035,637D
Explanation of Responses:
1. Shares sold pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 Trading Plan adopted by the reporting person on December 8, 2025
2. The price reported in Column 4 is a weighted average price. These shares were sold in multiple transactions at prices ranging from $78.00 to $78.025 inclusive. The reporting person undertakes to provide to Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. any security holder of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. or the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission, upon request, full information regarding the number of shares sold at each separate price within the ranges set forth in footnote (2) on this Form 4.
3. The price reported in Column 4 is a weighted average price. These shares were sold in multiple transactions at prices ranging from $78.075 to $79.01 inclusive. The reporting person undertakes to provide to Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. any security holder of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. or the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission, upon request, full information regarding the number of shares sold at each separate price within the ranges set forth in footnote (3) on this Form 4.
By: Patrick R. O'Neil, attorney-in-fact For: Brett P. Monia05/15/2026
** Signature of Reporting PersonDate
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4 (b)(v).
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.
Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number.
* Form 4: SEC 1474 (03-26)

FAQ

What insider transaction did Ionis (IONS) CEO Brett Monia report?

Ionis CEO Brett Monia reported exercising stock options and selling the resulting shares. He exercised 4,536 options at $32.60 per share and sold the same number of common shares in open-market transactions on May 13–14, 2026, under a Rule 10b5-1 plan.

How many Ionis (IONS) shares did the CEO sell and at what prices?

Brett Monia sold 4,536 Ionis common shares in total. The weighted average sale prices were $78.0130 per share on May 13, 2026, and $78.6793 per share on May 14, 2026, across multiple open-market transactions within narrow intraday price ranges.

Were the recent Ionis (IONS) CEO stock sales pre-planned?

Yes. The reported stock sales were executed pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 Trading Plan. The plan was adopted by Brett Monia on December 8, 2025, indicating the trades were pre-scheduled rather than timed discretionarily around short-term market or company developments.

How many Ionis (IONS) shares does the CEO hold after these transactions?

After the May 13–14, 2026 transactions, Brett Monia directly holds 242,662 Ionis common shares. This post-transaction balance reflects that only a relatively small fraction of his overall direct equity position was involved in the recent option exercises and associated open-market sales.

What stock options did the Ionis (IONS) CEO exercise in this Form 4?

Brett Monia exercised non-qualified stock options covering 4,536 shares of Ionis common stock. These options had a conversion or exercise price of $32.60 per share and were originally exercisable beginning January 3, 2023, with an expiration date of January 2, 2032.