Handelsbanken Fonder AB Decreases Stock Position in Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lessened its stake in Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND - Free Report) by 22.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,667 shares of the biotechnology company's stock after selling 4,000 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB's holdings in Ascendis Pharma A/S were worth $1,882,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its position in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 204,482 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $28,151,000 after purchasing an additional 25,164 shares in the last quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC boosted its position in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC now owns 163,888 shares of the biotechnology company's stock valued at $22,562,000 after purchasing an additional 3,274 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S during the 4th quarter valued at about $203,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 415.2% during the 4th 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. Finally, Legato Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ascendis Pharma A/S by 7.5% during 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 in the last quarter.

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Ascendis Pharma A/S Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of ASND traded up $3.44 on Friday, reaching $156.58. 429,232 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 496,303. The stock has a market cap of $9.50 billion, a PE ratio of -22.05 and a beta of 0.64. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $136.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $134.00. Ascendis Pharma A/S has a 52-week low of $111.09 and a 52-week high of $157.49.

Ascendis Pharma A/S (NASDAQ:ASND - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The biotechnology company reported ($0.68) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($1.32) by $0.64. Analysts forecast that Ascendis Pharma A/S will post -4.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on ASND shares. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Ascendis Pharma A/S from $220.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on Ascendis Pharma A/S from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday. StockNews.com upgraded Ascendis Pharma A/S from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley set a $180.00 price target on Ascendis Pharma A/S in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Ascendis Pharma A/S from $167.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company 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.