Ascendis Pharma A/S $ASND Shares Purchased by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management increased its Ascendis Pharma stake by 1,105.9% in the third quarter, bringing its holdings to 17,305 shares valued at approximately $3.94 million.
• Several other institutional investors also expanded their positions, including Perceptive Advisors, Pictet Asset Management, and Frazier Life Sciences Management.
• Analysts maintain a favorable outlook, with the stock receiving a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $309.26, despite Ascendis missing quarterly EPS expectations while exceeding revenue estimates.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND - Free Report) by 1,105.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,305 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after buying an additional 15,870 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in Ascendis Pharma A/S were worth $3,943,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Perceptive Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 41.6% during the first quarter. Perceptive Advisors LLC now owns 1,531,421 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $350,282,000 after purchasing an additional 450,000 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 24.8% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 351,146 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $80,318,000 after acquiring an additional 69,673 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 243.0% in the 1st quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 251,833 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $56,907,000 after acquiring an additional 178,415 shares in the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. increased its stake in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 23.2% in the 1st quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 230,278 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $52,671,000 after acquiring an additional 43,338 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Frazier Life Sciences Management L.P. lifted its position in Ascendis Pharma A/S by 68.9% during the 2nd quarter. Frazier Life Sciences Management L.P. now owns 225,155 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $60,053,000 after acquiring an additional 91,822 shares during the period.

Ascendis Pharma A/S Trading Up 1.9%

NASDAQ:ASND opened at $234.33 on Wednesday. The company's 50 day moving average price is $243.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $242.62. Ascendis Pharma A/S has a 52 week low of $188.07 and a 52 week high of $282.15. The company has a quick ratio of 2.32, a current ratio of 2.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market cap of $14.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.18 and a beta of 0.38.

Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND - Get Free Report) last issued its 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). Ascendis Pharma A/S had a net margin of 70.99% and a return on equity of 32.54%. The business had revenue of $387.22 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $376.75 million. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Ascendis Pharma A/S will post 3.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Ascendis Pharma A/S

In other Ascendis Pharma A/S 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jean-Jacques Bienaimé bought 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of $246.33 per share, for a total transaction of $492,660.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 2,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $714,357. This trade represents a 222.22% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 40.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on ASND shares. Bank of America dropped their price target on Ascendis Pharma A/S from $306.00 to $304.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 31st. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. HC Wainwright set a $344.00 price objective on Ascendis Pharma A/S in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. Wedbush reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $327.00 price objective on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $309.26.

Ascendis Pharma A/S 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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