Barclays starts Zealand Pharma at 'overweight' on long-term scope for growth

** Barclays initiates Danish pharmaceutical group Zealand Pharma ZEAL with "overweight", seeing the stock's current levels as an attractive entry point for investors

** The broker says it remains confident in the company's long-term growth potential despite recent competitor pressures and potential setbacks for its amylin drug candidate

** But it expects a relatively sparse number of catalysts to drive performance near-term, adding the investor enthusiasm for the obesity market has moderated this year

** Barclays sets a target price of DKK 560

** Zealand Pharma shares rise 2.4% to DKK 372; they are down 48% YTD

** Out of 15 analysts that cover Zealand Pharma, 12 rate the stock "strong buy" or "buy" and ​three "hold" - LSEG data