Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND) Shares Sold by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB trimmed its position in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND) by 22.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 13,667 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after selling 4,000 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Ascendis Pharma A/S were worth $1,882,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its stake in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 204,482 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $28,151,000 after acquiring an additional 25,164 shares during the period. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC increased its stake in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC now owns 163,888 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $22,562,000 after acquiring an additional 3,274 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S during the fourth quarter worth about $203,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased 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 worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 328 shares during the period. Finally, Legato Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC now owns 1,921 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock worth $264,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the period.

Ascendis Pharma A/S Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ ASND opened at $151.53 on Wednesday. Ascendis Pharma A/S has a 12-month low of $111.09 and a 12-month high of $161.00. The company has a market capitalization of $9.20 billion, a PE ratio of -21.34 and a beta of 0.64. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $135.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $133.54.

Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. On average, analysts forecast that Ascendis Pharma A/S will post -4.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ASND has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald boosted their price objective on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 price objective on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. They set a “buy” rating and a $196.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $202.36.

About Ascendis Pharma A/S

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.