American Century Companies Inc. Has $66.50 Million Stake in Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN)

American Century Companies Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) by 31.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 317,800 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 145,593 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned 0.56% of Nordson worth $66,496,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp grew its position in Nordson by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,638,375 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $692,916,000 after purchasing an additional 177,282 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Nordson by 1.0% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,443,366 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $377,919,000 after buying an additional 14,780 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Nordson by 10.5% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 514,557 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $135,138,000 after buying an additional 48,720 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Nordson by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 510,239 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $106,762,000 after acquiring an additional 28,967 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Nordson by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 459,710 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $96,190,000 after acquiring an additional 7,355 shares during the last quarter. 72.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on NDSN. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed 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. Baird R W lowered Nordson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. BNP Paribas cut Nordson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $219.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of Nordson from $295.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $256.20.

Nordson Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of Nordson stock opened at $205.93 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $11.72 billion, a PE ratio of 26.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.92. Nordson Co. has a 1 year low of $196.83 and a 1 year high of $279.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 2.53 and a quick ratio of 1.51. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $213.59 and a 200-day moving average price of $233.04.

Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $615.42 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $639.40 million. Nordson had a return on equity of 19.28% and a net margin of 16.93%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Nordson Co. will post 10.2 EPS for the current year.

Nordson Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Nordson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.69%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Stephen Lovass sold 1,299 shares of Nordson stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.79, for a total value of $268,620.21. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,519,286.13. This trade represents a 15.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.80% 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.