Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) has received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the ten analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $135.00.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $64.00 price target (down previously from $105.00) on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Thursday. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Tuesday. They set an “underperform” rating for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Kepler Capital Markets raised Novo Nordisk A/S from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novo Nordisk A/S

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC lifted its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC now owns 3,182 shares of the company’s stock worth $274,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. raised its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 72.4% during 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 period. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 4,984 shares of the company’s stock valued at $429,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 23,094 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,987,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Finally, Indie Asset Partners LLC raised its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Indie Asset Partners LLC now owns 3,128 shares of the company’s stock worth $269,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the period. 11.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Down 7.8 %

NYSE NVO opened at $57.99 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $76.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.55. Novo Nordisk A/S has a one year low of $57.28 and a one year high of $148.15. The firm has a market cap of $260.23 billion, a PE ratio of 17.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.61.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.03. Novo Nordisk A/S had a return on equity of 84.68% and a net margin of 34.81%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.7874 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a yield of 1.2%. This is a boost from Novo Nordisk A/S’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. Novo Nordisk A/S’s payout ratio is currently 49.54%.

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.