Cytokinetics (CYTK) vs Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS)
Head-to-head comparison of performance, valuation, growth, profitability and dividends. Prices delayed 15 minutes; data as of Oct 8, 2026.
Summary
Cytokinetics (CYTK) has outperformed Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS) over the past year, gaining 1.6% versus a loss of 35.9%. Over five years, CYTK leads with a +65.7% price change compared with +25.8% for IONS. Cytokinetics is the larger company by market cap ($8.62 billion vs $7.20 billion), about 1.2 times the size.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals converts more of its revenue into profit, with a net margin of -40.4% versus -891.6%.
Summary generated from market data by MetaCap's automated system. Methodology
Relative performance
Percent change in share price from the first common trading day shown; excludes dividends.
Head-to-head
| Metric | CYTK | IONS |
|---|---|---|
| Share price | $62.01 | $43.30 |
| Market cap | $8.62B | $7.20B |
| 1-day change | +1.46% | -1.95% |
| YTD return | -3.81% | -44.18% |
| 1-year return | +1.58% | -35.94% |
| 5-year return | +65.68% | +25.81% |
| EPS (TTM) | $-7.22 | $-3.48 |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Annual dividend | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Revenue (latest FY) | $88.04M | $943.71M |
| Revenue growth (YoY) | +376.56% | +33.83% |
| Net income (latest FY) | $-784.96M | $-381.39M |
| Gross margin | — | 98.31% |
| Operating margin | -695.44% | -40.45% |
| Net margin | -891.60% | -40.41% |
| 52-week high | $88.31 | $86.74 |
| 52-week low | $54.30 | $42.63 |
| Distance from 52-week high | -29.78% | -50.08% |
| Analyst consensus | strong_buy | buy |
| Avg. price target upside | +77.23% | +93.16% |
| Average volume | 1.96M | 3.78M |
| Shares outstanding | 139.02M | 166.18M |
| Employees | 673 | 1,480 |
| Sector | Health Care | Health Care |
| Industry | Biotechnology: Pharmaceutical Preparations | Biotechnology: Pharmaceutical Preparations |
Highlighted cells mark the higher value for growth, returns, margins and yield, and the lower value for P/E ratios. Highlighting is a mechanical comparison, not a recommendation.
Key differences
- CYTK has outperformed IONS by 37.5 percentage points over the past year.
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals is more profitable, keeping -40.4 cents of every revenue dollar as net income versus -891.6 cents for Cytokinetics.
- Cytokinetics grew revenue faster in its latest fiscal year (+376.56% vs +33.83%).
About Cytokinetics
CYTK stock →Cytokinetics, Incorporated, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on discovering, developing, and commercializing novel muscle activators and muscle inhibitors as potential treatments for debilitating diseases in the United States. The company markets MYQORZO, a novel, oral, and small molecule cardiac myosin inhibitor for the treatment of symptomatic oHCM.
Health Care · Biotechnology: Pharmaceutical Preparations · 673 employees
About Ionis Pharmaceuticals
IONS stock →Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a commercial-stage biotechnology company, provides RNA-targeted medicines in the United States. The company offers TRYNGOLZA reduces triglyceride levels in adults with familial chylomicronemia syndrome (FCS) and acute pancreatitis; DAWNZERA for prophylaxis to prevent attacks of hereditary angioedema in adults; WAINUA for the treatment of the polyneuropathy of hereditary transthyretin-medicated amyloidosis (ATTRv-PN) in adults; and SPINRAZA for pediatric and adult patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).
Health Care · Biotechnology: Pharmaceutical Preparations · 1,480 employees
CYTK vs IONS FAQ
Which is bigger, Cytokinetics or Ionis Pharmaceuticals?
Cytokinetics (CYTK) is larger, with a market capitalization of $8.62B compared with $7.20B for Ionis Pharmaceuticals (IONS).
Which stock has performed better over the past year, CYTK or IONS?
CYTK returned +1.58% over the past 12 months, compared with -35.94% for IONS (price return, excluding dividends). Past performance does not predict future results.
Are Cytokinetics and Ionis Pharmaceuticals in the same industry?
Yes. Both are classified in the Biotechnology: Pharmaceutical Preparations industry within the Health Care sector.