Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND) Director Purchases $492,660.00 in Stock

Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND) Director Jean Jacques Bienaime acquired 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $246.33 per share, for a total transaction of $492,660.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 2,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $714,357. This trade represents a 222.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Jean Jacques Bienaime also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, May 26th, Jean Jacques Bienaime acquired 400 shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S stock. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $237.80 per share, for a total transaction of $95,120.00.

Ascendis Pharma A/S Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:ASND opened at $254.81 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $252.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $237.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.77 and a beta of 0.39. Ascendis Pharma A/S has a 1 year low of $186.05 and a 1 year high of $282.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 2.32 and a current ratio of 2.99.

Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND) last posted its quarterly 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). The business had revenue of $387.22 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $376.75 million. Ascendis Pharma A/S had a net margin of 70.99% and a return on equity of 32.54%. Equities analysts forecast that Ascendis Pharma A/S will post 4.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ASND. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S from $345.00 to $329.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Citigroup began coverage on Ascendis Pharma A/S in a research note on Monday, May 18th. They set a “buy” rating and a $355.00 price objective on the stock. TD Cowen upped their target price on Ascendis Pharma A/S from $325.00 to $341.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Ascendis Pharma A/S from $330.00 to $326.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on Ascendis Pharma A/S from $280.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $300.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ascendis Pharma A/S

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quantitative Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Ascendis Pharma A/S during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $529,000. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $693,000. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Braun Stacey Associates Inc. now owns 132,682 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock valued at $35,389,000 after buying an additional 1,690 shares during the last quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $347,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its position in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 245.4% during the second quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 19,977 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $5,328,000 after buying an additional 14,193 shares in the last quarter.

About Ascendis Pharma A/S

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.