Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND) Given Consensus Rating of "Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Ascendis Pharma has a consensus analyst rating of "Buy" from 19 covering firms, with 16 buy ratings, 2 strong buy ratings, and 1 sell rating. The average 12-month price target is about $295.67.
• Recent analyst actions were broadly positive, including upgrades and reiterated outperform ratings from firms like Wedbush, Royal Bank of Canada, Oppenheimer, and Citigroup. Citigroup initiated coverage with a $355 price target, the highest mentioned.
• The company recently reported Q1 earnings of $0.32 per share, beating estimates of $0.21, though revenue of $285.45 million came in below expectations. Shares opened at $270.45, near their 52-week high of $282.15.

Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Buy" from the nineteen research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $295.6667.

ASND has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $273.00 price objective on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Ascendis Pharma A/S from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Ascendis Pharma A/S from $275.00 to $280.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Oppenheimer reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in a research report on Monday, May 18th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $355.00 price target for the company.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jean Jacques Bienaime acquired 400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $237.80 per share, for a total transaction of $95,120.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 400 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $95,120. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Flemming Steen Jensen sold 19,460 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.49, for a total value of $4,641,015.40. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 40.00% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ascendis Pharma A/S

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in Ascendis Pharma A/S by 4.0% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 1,441 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $249,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Certuity LLC raised its holdings in Ascendis Pharma A/S by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. Certuity LLC now owns 1,170 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $249,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $347,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 34.0% in the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 272 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 15.1% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 550 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $117,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period.

Ascendis Pharma A/S Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ASND opened at $270.45 on Monday. Ascendis Pharma A/S has a one year low of $160.86 and a one year high of $282.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The company has a market cap of $16.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.19 and a beta of 0.37. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $239.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $230.29.

Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biotechnology company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $285.45 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $362.47 million. Research analysts predict that Ascendis Pharma A/S will post 4.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.

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