Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND) Receives Consensus Rating of “Buy” from Brokerages

Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND) has earned an average rating of “Buy” from the eighteen brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fifteen have given a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $298.6471.

A number of analysts have recently commented on ASND shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 18th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S from $256.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $333.00 price target on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S from a “sell (d)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S from $262.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th.

Ascendis Pharma A/S Trading Down 3.6%

ASND opened at $246.23 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. Ascendis Pharma A/S has a 52 week low of $186.05 and a 52 week high of $282.15. The stock has a market cap of $15.36 billion, a PE ratio of 28.40 and a beta of 0.39. The business has a 50 day moving average of $248.84 and a 200-day moving average of $237.16.

Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 13th. The biotechnology company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.71 by ($0.68). The company had revenue of $387.22 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $376.75 million. Equities research analysts predict that Ascendis Pharma A/S will post 4.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jean Jacques Bienaime purchased 400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $237.80 per share, with a total value of $95,120.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 400 shares in the company, valued at $95,120. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 40.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new stake in Ascendis Pharma A/S in the third quarter worth $26,000. Arax Advisory Partners increased its holdings in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 212.2% during the fourth quarter. Arax Advisory Partners now owns 153 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Leonteq Securities AG bought a new position in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in the 4th quarter worth about $42,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 111.9% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 214 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the last quarter.

Ascendis Pharma A/S Company Profile

Ascendis Pharma A/S is a Denmark‐based biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative therapies for rare endocrine diseases. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Hellerup, the company leverages its proprietary TransCon drug delivery platform to create long‐acting prodrugs designed to improve safety, efficacy and patient convenience. Ascendis Pharma maintains research and development operations in Europe and the United States, with clinical studies spanning North America, Europe and Asia.

The company’s lead product, lonapegsomatropin (Skytrofa®), is a once‐weekly growth hormone therapy approved by the U.S.