Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Trading Down 0.1% – Time to Sell?

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) shares dropped 0.1% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $78.95 and last traded at $78.90. Approximately 999,543 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 5,398,184 shares. The stock had previously closed at $79.00.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus downgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Kepler Capital Markets raised Novo Nordisk A/S from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Novo Nordisk A/S from $156.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $145.25.

Novo Nordisk A/S Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $344.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.74. The company’s fifty day moving average is $83.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $101.22.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 EPS for the current year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.7874 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a dividend yield of 1.2%. 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 (DPR) is currently 47.72%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NVO. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Center for Financial Planning Inc. increased 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 acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL lifted its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 2,727.3% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 311 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 11.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.