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

Key Points

• Ascendis Pharma has a consensus “Buy” rating from 20 analysts: 17 rate it a buy, two a strong buy, and one a hold. The average 12-month price target is $304.95.
• ASND shares opened at $263.04 after reportedly rising 6.1%, with a market capitalization of approximately $16.41 billion. Recent analyst targets remain bullish, though several firms modestly reduced their price objectives.
• The company exceeded quarterly revenue expectations with $387.22 million, but its $1.03 EPS fell short of the $1.71 consensus estimate. Director Jean Jacques Bienaime also purchased 2,000 shares, while insiders collectively own 40% of the company.

Shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Buy" from the twenty ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $304.95.

Several analysts have weighed in on ASND shares. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S from $306.00 to $304.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $319.00 price objective for the company. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S from $345.00 to $329.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 14th. Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Ascendis Pharma A/S from $333.00 to $330.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday.

Ascendis Pharma A/S Trading Up 6.1%

NASDAQ ASND opened at $263.04 on Tuesday. Ascendis Pharma A/S has a one year low of $186.05 and a one year 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 company has a market capitalization of $16.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.41 and a beta of 0.39. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $256.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $239.47.

Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 14th. The biotechnology company reported $1.03 EPS 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. Ascendis Pharma A/S had a return on equity of 32.54% and a net margin of 70.99%. Equities analysts forecast that Ascendis Pharma A/S will post 3.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ascendis Pharma A/S news, Director Jean Jacques Bienaime acquired 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $246.33 per share, with a total value of $492,660.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 2,900 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $714,357. The trade was a 222.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 40.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 4.0% in the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 1,441 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $249,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Personal CFO Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $347,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $117,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GW&K Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Ascendis Pharma A/S by 75.2% in the 4th quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 226 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period.

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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