Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Shares Down 1.3%

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) shares fell 1.3% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $123.21 and last traded at $124.46. 1,152,898 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 4,787,463 shares. The stock had previously closed at $126.16.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on NVO. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $160.00 price objective on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Thursday, April 18th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Friday, April 12th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $163.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Finally, UBS Group began coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Novo Nordisk A/S has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.60.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $126.72 and its 200 day moving average price is $111.64. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $564.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.41.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.05. Novo Nordisk A/S had a net margin of 36.03% and a return on equity of 90.36%. The firm had revenue of $9.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.14 billion. Analysts forecast that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 25th were paid a dividend of $0.664 per share. This is an increase from Novo Nordisk A/S’s previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.22. This represents a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 22nd. Novo Nordisk A/S’s dividend payout ratio is presently 49.17%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novo Nordisk A/S

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Cravens & Co Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Cravens & Co Advisors LLC now owns 8,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,059,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 15,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,595,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares during the period. Clarius Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 18,505 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,914,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares during the period. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 4,955 shares of the company’s stock worth $513,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. Finally, Atlas Brown Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. now owns 3,823 shares of the company’s stock worth $491,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. 11.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novo Nordisk A/S Company Profile

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.