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

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) has earned an average rating of “Buy” from the seven analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $145.25.

NVO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $160.00 target price on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. BNP Paribas upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Novo Nordisk A/S from $156.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, December 29th.

Institutional Trading of Novo Nordisk A/S

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 110.5% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 17,164 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,450,000 after acquiring an additional 9,012 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 45.8% in the 2nd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 23,664 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,378,000 after purchasing an additional 7,430 shares during the period. Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 98.5% in the 2nd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 7,175 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,024,000 after purchasing an additional 3,560 shares in the last quarter. Eldred Rock Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 118.7% in the third quarter. Eldred Rock Partners LLC now owns 91,174 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,856,000 after buying an additional 49,484 shares during the period. Finally, Collective Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 10.5% in the third quarter. Collective Family Office LLC now owns 6,416 shares of the company’s stock worth $764,000 after acquiring an additional 610 shares in the last quarter. 11.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Up 1.7 %

NYSE:NVO opened at $87.16 on Friday. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 52 week low of $78.17 and a 52 week high of $148.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $391.15 billion, a PE ratio of 28.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $92.24 and a 200-day moving average of $112.01.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.03. Novo Nordisk A/S had a net margin of 35.03% and a return on equity of 86.32%. Analysts predict that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.16 EPS for the current year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.7874 per share. This is a positive change from Novo Nordisk A/S’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. This represents a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. Novo Nordisk A/S’s payout ratio is presently 23.30%.

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.