18,327 Shares in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Acquired by XXEC Inc.

XXEC Inc. purchased a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 18,327 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,576,000. Novo Nordisk A/S accounts for about 1.3% of XXEC Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Center for Financial Planning Inc. increased its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 72.4% in the fourth quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the third quarter worth approximately $42,000. Dunhill Financial LLC lifted its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 196.8% during the third quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 469 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT lifted its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 121.4% during the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 507 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. 11.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novo Nordisk A/S Price Performance

NVO opened at $87.39 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $84.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $105.85. The firm has a market cap of $392.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.56, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.45. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 1 year low of $77.82 and a 1 year high of $148.15.

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%. As a group, 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 disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.7874 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.2%. 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. Novo Nordisk A/S’s dividend payout ratio is 47.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NVO has been the topic of several research reports. Cantor Fitzgerald restated 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. Stifel Nicolaus downgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Novo Nordisk A/S from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Novo Nordisk A/S from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, December 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.