Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Holdings Decreased by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. lessened its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) by 27.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,562 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,141 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $1,425,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Creative Planning raised its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 4.7% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 294,799 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,102,000 after purchasing an additional 13,203 shares in the last quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 23.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 12,138 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,445,000 after purchasing an additional 2,295 shares during the period. Stratos Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Stratos Investment Management LLC now owns 52,169 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,212,000 after buying an additional 945 shares in the last quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group acquired a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the third quarter valued at $721,000. Finally, Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 5.1% during the third quarter. Mogy Joel R Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 200,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,874,000 after buying an additional 9,770 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 11.54% of the company’s stock.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Performance

Shares of Novo Nordisk A/S stock opened at $77.94 on Friday. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 12 month low of $77.82 and a 12 month high of $148.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market cap of $349.75 billion, a PE ratio of 23.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.45. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $88.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $109.83.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.03. Novo Nordisk A/S had a return on equity of 84.68% and a net margin of 34.81%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.7874 dividend. This is an increase from Novo Nordisk A/S’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a yield of 1.2%. Novo Nordisk A/S’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Wednesday. They issued an “equal weight” rating for the company. BNP Paribas raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from $156.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $160.00 price objective on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Novo Nordisk A/S presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $145.25.

About Novo Nordisk A/S

Novo Nordisk A/S, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the research and development, manufacture, and distribution of pharmaceutical products in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, North America, and internationally. It operates in two segments, Diabetes and Obesity Care, and Rare Disease.