UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Increases Holdings in Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its position in shares of Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) by 16.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,309 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,155 shares during the quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Nordson were worth $1,739,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its holdings in shares of Nordson by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 36,876 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $9,685,000 after acquiring an additional 777 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Nordson in the third quarter valued at $426,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its position in Nordson by 20.5% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 75,490 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $19,826,000 after purchasing an additional 12,847 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new position in shares of Nordson in the 3rd quarter valued at about $3,257,000. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its stake in shares of Nordson by 14.7% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 2,338 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $614,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.11% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NDSN has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $237.00 price target (down from $294.00) on shares of Nordson in a report on Friday, December 13th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. BNP Paribas cut shares of Nordson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $219.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Monday, February 24th. DA Davidson dropped their target price on Nordson from $295.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Baird R W cut Nordson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Nordson currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $256.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Nordson news, EVP Stephen Lovass sold 1,299 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.79, for a total transaction 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 $1,519,286.13. This trade represents a 15.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Nordson Trading Down 2.9 %

NDSN stock opened at $200.46 on Monday. Nordson Co. has a 12-month low of $196.83 and a 12-month high of $279.38. The business’s 50-day moving average is $213.03 and its 200 day moving average is $232.12. The company has a current ratio of 2.53, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market cap of $11.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.50, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.92.

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

Nordson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. Nordson’s payout ratio is 39.69%.

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.