Blueshift Asset Management LLC Acquires 2,700 Shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)

Blueshift Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) by 139.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,639 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,700 shares during the period. Blueshift Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $399,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Marco Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Marco Investment Management LLC now owns 6,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $798,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Menard Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Menard Financial Group LLC now owns 12,283 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,463,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 2,747 shares of the company’s stock valued at $327,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. Financial Counselors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 11,009 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,311,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Finally, M. Kulyk & Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC now owns 3,182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $274,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. 11.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. UBS Group raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $145.25.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NVO opened at $78.73 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $83.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $101.66. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 12-month low of $73.80 and a 12-month high of $148.15. The firm has a market cap of $353.32 billion, a PE ratio of 23.93, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. Equities research analysts predict that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 earnings per share 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 dividend of $0.7874 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Novo Nordisk A/S’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. Novo Nordisk A/S’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.72%.

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.