Xponance Inc. Increases Position in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)

Xponance Inc. raised its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) by 4.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,156 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $271,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NVO. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Center for Financial Planning Inc. raised its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 72.4% during 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 during the last quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 196.8% during the 3rd quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 469 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares during the last quarter. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 121.4% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 507 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S in the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. 11.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novo Nordisk A/S Trading Down 2.2 %

Shares of NVO opened at $70.18 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $82.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $99.54. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 12-month low of $69.77 and a 12-month high of $148.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $314.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.33, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.42.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 EPS for the current year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a yield of 1.2%. This is an increase from Novo Nordisk A/S’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. Novo Nordisk A/S’s payout ratio is currently 47.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com lowered Novo Nordisk A/S from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. BNP Paribas raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S to a “strong-buy” rating in a report 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 note on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Novo Nordisk A/S currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.