Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Stake Lowered by Optimum Investment Advisors

Optimum Investment Advisors decreased its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) by 59.4% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,244 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,750 shares during the period. Optimum Investment Advisors’ holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $279,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 58.5% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 62,897 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,410,000 after buying an additional 23,223 shares during the last quarter. Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 45.3% in the 4th quarter. Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC now owns 63,732 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,482,000 after purchasing an additional 19,870 shares during the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC grew its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 358.8% in the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 38,898 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,346,000 after purchasing an additional 30,420 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $86,000. Finally, Talbot Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,066,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 11.54% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NVO has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Novo Nordisk A/S from $156.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 23rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. BNP Paribas raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Novo Nordisk A/S currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $145.25.

Novo Nordisk A/S Price Performance

Shares of Novo Nordisk A/S stock opened at $76.88 on Friday. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 52 week low of $73.80 and a 52 week high of $148.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock has a market cap of $344.98 billion, a PE ratio of 23.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.42. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $83.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $100.98.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.03. Novo Nordisk A/S had a net margin of 34.81% and a return on equity of 84.68%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The business 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 is Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Novo Nordisk A/S’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. This represents a dividend yield of 1.2%. Novo Nordisk A/S’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.72%.

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.