Sapient Capital LLC Takes Position in Ascendis Pharma A/S $ASND

Key Points

• Sapient Capital LLC purchased 92,162 shares of Ascendis Pharma during the second quarter, valued at approximately $24.6 million and representing about 0.15% of the company.
• Ascendis reported quarterly EPS of $1.03, missing estimates of $1.71, while revenue of $387.2 million exceeded the $376.8 million consensus forecast.
• Analysts maintain a broadly positive outlook, with a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $310.05 versus the stock’s reported opening price of $271.12.

Sapient Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 92,162 shares of the biotechnology company's stock, valued at approximately $24,581,000. Sapient Capital LLC owned approximately 0.15% of Ascendis Pharma A/S as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Personal CFO Solutions LLC increased its position in 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 buying an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Ascendis Pharma A/S by 34.0% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 272 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Ascendis Pharma A/S by 75.2% during the fourth quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 226 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arax Advisory Partners raised its stake in Ascendis Pharma A/S by 212.2% during the fourth quarter. Arax Advisory Partners now owns 153 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the last quarter.

Ascendis Pharma A/S Price Performance

ASND opened at $271.12 on Friday. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $257.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $240.48. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $16.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.03 and a beta of 0.35. Ascendis Pharma A/S has a 52-week low of $186.05 and a 52-week high of $282.15.

Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 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%. As a group, analysts predict that Ascendis Pharma A/S will post 5.99 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jean-Jacques Bienaimé bought 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $246.33 per share, for a total transaction of $492,660.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 2,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $714,357. This represents a 222.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 40.00% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ASND has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Ascendis Pharma A/S from $328.00 to $326.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. HC Wainwright assumed coverage on Ascendis Pharma A/S in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $345.00 price target for the company. UBS Group set a $345.00 price target on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in a research note on Monday. Barclays cut 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 research report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S from $333.00 to $330.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $310.05.

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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