Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN) Hits New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $221.99 and last traded at $222.64, with a volume of 74502 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $224.01.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NDSN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Baird R W cut Nordson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $237.00 target price (down previously from $294.00) on shares of Nordson in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, DA Davidson lowered their price target on shares of Nordson from $295.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.00.

Nordson Stock Up 0.3 %

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $251.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $245.32. The firm has a market cap of $11.98 billion, a PE ratio of 25.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a current ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 11th. The industrial products company reported $2.78 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.19. Nordson had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 19.87%. The company had revenue of $744.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $736.83 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.46 earnings per share. Nordson’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Nordson Co. will post 10.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nordson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.49%. Nordson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.47%.

Insider Activity at Nordson

In other news, EVP Joseph P. Kelley sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.98, for a total transaction of $749,940.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 8,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,164,576.82. This trade represents a 25.73 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Jennifer L. Mcdonough sold 225 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 3,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 3,629 shares of company stock valued at $914,400. Company insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nordson

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Nordson by 4.7% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 295,962 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $77,723,000 after buying an additional 13,184 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Nordson by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 84,697 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $21,841,000 after acquiring an additional 4,919 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Nordson by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 14,181 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,724,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its position in Nordson by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 17,311 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $4,523,000 after acquiring an additional 1,326 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Nordson by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,443,366 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $377,919,000 after purchasing an additional 14,780 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.11% of the company’s stock.

Nordson Company 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.