Hancock Whitney Corp Sells 1,017 Shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)

Hancock Whitney Corp lessened its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) by 16.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 5,256 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,017 shares during the quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp’s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $452,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Center for Financial Planning Inc. increased its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 72.4% in the 4th quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL increased its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 2,727.3% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 311 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA acquired a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT grew its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 121.4% during the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 507 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. 11.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NVO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an “underperform” rating on the stock. UBS Group raised Novo Nordisk A/S from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $64.00 target price (down from $105.00) on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Dbs Bank lowered shares of Novo Nordisk A/S to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $135.00.

Novo Nordisk A/S Price Performance

Novo Nordisk A/S stock opened at $62.07 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $278.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.87, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.61. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 52-week low of $57.00 and a 52-week high of $148.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.74. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $73.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $89.61.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.03. Novo Nordisk A/S had a net margin of 34.81% and a return on equity of 84.68%. On average, equities analysts predict that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a $0.7874 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This represents a yield of 1.2%. This is a positive change from Novo Nordisk A/S’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. Novo Nordisk A/S’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.54%.

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.