Marshall Wace LLP Reduces Holdings in Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND)

Marshall Wace LLP trimmed its position in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND - Free Report) by 48.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 114,245 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 106,830 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned approximately 0.19% of Ascendis Pharma A/S worth $15,728,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legato Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC now owns 1,921 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $264,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its holdings in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 394.0% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 247 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Ascendis Pharma A/S by 58.0% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 583 shares of the biotechnology company's stock worth $80,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 415.2% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 407 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 328 shares in the last quarter.

Ascendis Pharma A/S Price Performance

Shares of ASND stock traded up $3.70 on Friday, hitting $164.15. The stock had a trading volume of 560,181 shares, compared to its average volume of 488,446. The business has a 50 day moving average of $153.78 and a 200 day moving average of $138.90. Ascendis Pharma A/S has a 12-month low of $111.09 and a 12-month high of $169.37. The stock has a market cap of $10.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -23.12 and a beta of 0.54.

Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.68) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.32) by $0.64. As a group, research analysts expect that Ascendis Pharma A/S will post -4.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Ascendis Pharma A/S from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their price objective on Ascendis Pharma A/S from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S from $168.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Ascendis Pharma A/S currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $204.67.

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.