Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) Shares Acquired by GW&K Investment Management LLC

GW&K Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) by 0.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 302,928 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 987 shares during the period. GW&K Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Nordson were worth $63,385,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Versor Investments LP lifted its position in shares of Nordson by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 1,500 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $314,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Nordson in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,678,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its stake in Nordson by 545.2% in the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 4,981 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,042,000 after purchasing an additional 4,209 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Nordson by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,458 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,561,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New York Life Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Nordson by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 7,314 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,530,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.11% of the company’s stock.

Nordson Price Performance

Nordson stock opened at $209.50 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.95. Nordson Co. has a 12-month low of $196.83 and a 12-month 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 firm’s 50-day moving average is $213.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $238.22.

Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN) last announced its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $615.42 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $639.40 million. Nordson had a return on equity of 19.28% and a net margin of 16.93%. Equities analysts predict that Nordson Co. will post 10.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Nordson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were given a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 2nd. Nordson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.69%.

Insider Activity at Nordson

In other Nordson news, EVP Stephen Lovass sold 317 shares of Nordson stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.75, for a total value of $82,657.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 6,666 shares in the company, valued at $1,738,159.50. The trade was a 4.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on NDSN. DA Davidson dropped their price target on Nordson from $295.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Baird R W downgraded shares of Nordson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating 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. Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $237.00 price objective (down from $294.00) on shares of Nordson in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Loop Capital raised Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $255.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Nordson has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $255.25.

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.