Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND) Stock Rating Cut to "Hold" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Ascendis Pharma from “Buy” to “Hold,” although broader analyst sentiment remains positive with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $305.95.
• Ascendis Pharma shares opened at $251.27, with a $15.67 billion market capitalization; the stock has traded between $188.07 and $282.15 over the past year.
• The company exceeded quarterly revenue expectations with $387.22 million but missed earnings estimates, reporting $1.03 in EPS versus the $1.71 consensus forecast.

Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND - Get Free Report) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report released on Saturday, Wall Street Zen reports.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on ASND. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $268.00 price target on Ascendis Pharma A/S in a report on Monday. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. UBS Group initiated coverage on Ascendis Pharma A/S in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. They set a "buy" rating and a $269.00 target price for the company. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on Ascendis Pharma A/S from $360.00 to $330.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $305.95.

Ascendis Pharma A/S Stock Down 0.7%

Ascendis Pharma A/S stock opened at $251.27 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $15.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.49 and a beta of 0.38. Ascendis Pharma A/S has a 52-week low of $188.07 and a 52-week high of $282.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 2.32 and a current ratio of 2.99. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $242.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $238.01.

Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 14th. The biotechnology company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.71 by ($0.68). Ascendis Pharma A/S had a net margin of 70.99% and a return on equity of 32.54%. The firm had revenue of $387.22 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $376.75 million. Equities analysts predict that Ascendis Pharma A/S will post 3.43 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ascendis Pharma A/S

In other news, SVP Mads Bodenhoff sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $270.19, for a total transaction of $810,570.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 3,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $810,570. This represents a 50.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Jean-Jacques Bienaimé acquired 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $246.33 per share, for a total transaction of $492,660.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $714,357. This represents a 222.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 40.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Perceptive Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 41.6% in the first quarter. Perceptive Advisors LLC now owns 1,531,421 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $350,282,000 after acquiring an additional 450,000 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in the first quarter worth $26,837,000. Troluce Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Ascendis Pharma A/S during the 1st quarter worth approximately $22,782,000. Sapient Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S during the 2nd quarter valued at about $24,581,000. Finally, Frazier Life Sciences Management L.P. raised its position in Ascendis Pharma A/S by 68.9% during the second quarter. Frazier Life Sciences Management L.P. now owns 225,155 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $60,053,000 after purchasing an additional 91,822 shares in the last quarter.

Ascendis Pharma A/S Company Profile

Ascendis Pharma A/S is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapies for rare diseases. The company uses its proprietary TransCon technology platform to design long-acting medicines intended to improve treatment convenience, maintain controlled drug exposure, and address unmet medical needs.

Its commercial products include SKYTROFA (lonape­gsomatropin-tcgd), a once-weekly growth hormone treatment for children with growth hormone deficiency, and YORVIPATH (palopegteriparatide), a once-daily therapy for adults with hypoparathyroidism.

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