Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Has $64.36 Million Stock Position in Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN)

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) by 0.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 307,566 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 255 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Nordson were worth $64,355,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Isthmus Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Nordson by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 1,380 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $289,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its stake in shares of Nordson by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 26,051 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,451,000 after buying an additional 837 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC bought a new stake in shares of Nordson in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,195,000. Amundi grew its position in Nordson by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 42,322 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $8,553,000 after buying an additional 1,933 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in Nordson by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 12,794 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,677,000 after acquiring an additional 610 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.11% of the company’s stock.

Nordson Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NDSN opened at $215.31 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.92. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $213.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $236.98. Nordson Co. has a fifty-two week low of $196.83 and a fifty-two week 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.

Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.08 by ($0.02). Nordson had a return on equity of 19.28% and a net margin of 16.93%. The firm had revenue of $615.42 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $639.40 million. As a group, analysts predict that Nordson Co. will post 10.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nordson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Nordson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.69%.

Insider Transactions at Nordson

In other Nordson news, EVP Stephen Lovass sold 1,299 shares of Nordson stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,347 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,519,286.13. The trade was a 15.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NDSN has been the subject of a number of research reports. KeyCorp upgraded Nordson from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $260.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Seaport Res Ptn raised Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. DA Davidson lowered their price target on shares of Nordson from $295.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $237.00 price objective (down from $294.00) on shares of Nordson in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, BNP Paribas lowered shares of Nordson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $219.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $256.20.

About Nordson

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.