KBC Group NV Sells 71,380 Shares of Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN)

KBC Group NV decreased its holdings in shares of Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) by 74.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,011 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 71,380 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Nordson were worth $5,024,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Nordson by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,638,375 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $692,916,000 after buying an additional 177,282 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Nordson by 26,109.1% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 104,050 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $27,327,000 after purchasing an additional 103,653 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Nordson by 71.0% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 157,582 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $41,386,000 after purchasing an additional 65,436 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Nordson by 23.6% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 321,742 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $84,499,000 after purchasing an additional 61,430 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Nordson by 10.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 514,557 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $135,138,000 after purchasing an additional 48,720 shares during the last quarter. 72.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Nordson Stock Up 1.2 %

NASDAQ NDSN opened at $220.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 2.41. Nordson Co. has a 52 week low of $196.83 and a 52 week high of $279.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $225.68 and a 200-day moving average of $241.61.

Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 11th. The industrial products company reported $2.78 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $744.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $736.83 million. Nordson had a return on equity of 19.87% and a net margin of 17.37%. The company’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.46 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Nordson Co. will post 10.2 EPS for the current year.

Nordson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were paid a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.41%. Nordson’s payout ratio is presently 38.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Nordson

In related news, EVP Stephen Lovass sold 317 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.75, for a total transaction of $82,657.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,666 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,738,159.50. The trade was a 4.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Jennifer L. Mcdonough sold 225 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.27, for a total transaction of $59,010.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 3,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $862,081.49. This trade represents a 6.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,928 shares of company stock worth $433,080. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NDSN has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $237.00 price objective (down previously from $294.00) on shares of Nordson in a report on Friday, December 13th. DA Davidson dropped their price target on Nordson from $295.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 13th. Seaport Res Ptn raised Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Loop Capital upgraded Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $280.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Baird R W cut Nordson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Nordson has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $279.25.

Nordson Profile

Nordson Corporation engineers, manufactures, and markets products and systems to dispense, apply, and control adhesives, coatings, polymers, sealants, biomaterials, and other fluids worldwide. It operates through three segments: Industrial Precision Solutions; Medical and Fluid Solutions; and Advanced Technology Solutions.