Ascendis Pharma A/S $ASND Shares Sold by Candriam S.C.A.

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. reduced its stake in Ascendis Pharma A/S by 13.3%, leaving it with 242,761 shares valued at approximately $37.8 million.
• The company recently reported an earnings per share (EPS) of ($0.93), beating estimates by $0.49 and achieving $216.28 million in revenue for the quarter.
• Wall Street analysts maintain a consensus “Buy” rating for the stock, with a notable price target range of $203.00 to $307.00.

Candriam S.C.A. lowered its stake in Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND - Free Report) by 13.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 242,761 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 37,393 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A. owned approximately 0.40% of Ascendis Pharma A/S worth $37,837,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of ASND. Virtus ETF Advisers LLC grew its holdings in Ascendis Pharma A/S by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Virtus ETF Advisers LLC now owns 2,676 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $368,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in Ascendis Pharma A/S by 2.3% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,578 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $1,337,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in Ascendis Pharma A/S during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its holdings in Ascendis Pharma A/S by 332.9% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 355 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 273 shares during the period. Finally, GF Fund Management CO. LTD. grew its holdings in Ascendis Pharma A/S by 22.0% in the first quarter. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. now owns 1,544 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the last quarter.

Ascendis Pharma A/S Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of ASND traded up $1.27 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $195.57. 137,820 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 492,679. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.97 billion, a PE ratio of -37.90 and a beta of 0.41. Ascendis Pharma A/S has a fifty-two week low of $111.09 and a fifty-two week high of $199.99. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $178.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $163.98.

Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.93) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.42) by $0.49. The company had revenue of $216.28 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $163.17 million. Research analysts predict that Ascendis Pharma A/S will post -4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on ASND. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Ascendis Pharma A/S from $212.00 to $254.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $290.00 target price (up previously from $243.00) on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in a report on Friday, August 8th. Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $224.00 target price (up previously from $215.00) on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in a report on Friday, June 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $295.00 price objective (up from $289.00) on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $243.36.

Ascendis Pharma A/S Company Profile

Ascendis Pharma A/S, a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on developing therapies for unmet medical needs. It offers SKYTROFA for treating patients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD). The company is also developing a pipeline of three independent endocrinology rare disease product candidates in clinical development, as well as focuses on advancing oncology therapeutic candidates.