Ascendis Pharma A/S $ASND Stock: Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Increases Position

Key Points

• Nisa Investment Advisors significantly increased its Ascendis Pharma stake by 28,468.4% in the third quarter, ending with 5,428 shares valued at approximately $1.24 million. Several other institutional investors also expanded their positions.
• Ascendis Pharma reported quarterly EPS of $1.03, below the $1.71 analyst consensus, while revenue of $387.22 million exceeded estimates. Shares opened at $245.15, with the stock up 0.7% and a market capitalization of roughly $15.29 billion.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with 19 Buy ratings and one Hold rating, producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $305.95 versus the current share price.

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND - Free Report) by 28,468.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,428 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after buying an additional 5,409 shares during the quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Ascendis Pharma A/S were worth $1,237,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Perceptive Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 41.6% in the 1st quarter. Perceptive Advisors LLC now owns 1,531,421 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $350,282,000 after acquiring an additional 450,000 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 24.8% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 351,146 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $80,318,000 after acquiring an additional 69,673 shares during the last quarter. Frazier Life Sciences Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of 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 last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 243.0% in the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 251,833 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $56,907,000 after purchasing an additional 178,415 shares during the period. Finally, Candriam S.C.A. grew its holdings in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 23.2% in the first quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 230,278 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $52,671,000 after purchasing an additional 43,338 shares during the period.

Insider Transactions at Ascendis Pharma A/S

In related news, Director Jean-Jacques Bienaimé acquired 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $246.33 per share, for a total transaction of $492,660.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 2,900 shares in the company, valued at $714,357. The trade was a 222.22% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Mads Bodenhoff sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $270.19, for a total transaction of $810,570.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 40.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Ascendis Pharma A/S Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NASDAQ:ASND opened at $245.15 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $15.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.02 and a beta of 0.38. Ascendis Pharma A/S has a 12-month low of $188.07 and a 12-month high of $282.15. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $242.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $237.18. The company has a current ratio of 2.99, a quick ratio of 2.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27.

Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, August 14th. The biotechnology company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.71 by ($0.68). The company had revenue of $387.22 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $376.75 million. Ascendis Pharma A/S had a net margin of 70.99% and a return on equity of 32.54%. Sell-side analysts expect that Ascendis Pharma A/S will post 3.43 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ASND has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $300.00 target price on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, October 10th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S from $328.00 to $326.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 31st. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group set a $268.00 price target on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in a research report on Monday. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $305.95.

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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