Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND) Receives Average Recommendation of "Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts remain bullish on Ascendis Pharma: Of 19 analysts covering the stock, 16 recommend buying, two rate it a strong buy, and one recommends holding. The average 12-month price target is approximately $296.72, versus an opening price of $249.85.
• Recent analyst actions were mostly positive, including new or reiterated buy/overweight ratings from Citigroup, RBC, Wells Fargo, and Morgan Stanley, though one research firm downgraded the shares to hold.
• Ascendis reported quarterly EPS of $0.32, exceeding the $0.21 consensus estimate, but revenue of $285.45 million fell short of the $362.47 million forecast. Insiders own about 40% of the company, with one director buying shares while another insider sold stock.

Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Buy" by the nineteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $296.7222.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on ASND shares. Citigroup assumed 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 on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S from $330.00 to $326.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S from $256.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd.

Ascendis Pharma A/S Price Performance

Shares of ASND opened at $249.85 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $245.40 and a 200-day moving average of $235.99. 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 capitalization of $15.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.82 and a beta of 0.39. Ascendis Pharma A/S has a 1 year low of $175.19 and a 1 year high of $282.15.

Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The biotechnology company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $285.45 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $362.47 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Ascendis Pharma A/S will post 4.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jean Jacques Bienaime acquired 400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The shares were bought at an average price of $237.80 per share, with a total value of $95,120.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 400 shares of the company's stock, valued at $95,120. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Flemming Steen Jensen sold 19,460 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.49, for a total transaction of $4,641,015.40. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 40.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Arax Advisory Partners raised its position 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 worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. Leonteq Securities AG bought a new position in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its holdings 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 in the last quarter.

About Ascendis Pharma A/S

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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