15,646 Shares in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Acquired by Natural Investments LLC

Natural Investments LLC purchased a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 15,646 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,345,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NVO. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the 3rd quarter worth $42,000. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,382,000 after purchasing an additional 763 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 31.3% during the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 52,596 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,263,000 after buying an additional 12,539 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC boosted its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 20.8% during the 3rd quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 11,024 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,313,000 after buying an additional 1,899 shares during the period. Finally, Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S during the 3rd quarter valued at $106,000. Institutional investors own 11.54% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on NVO shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 29th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $145.25.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Performance

NVO opened at $78.87 on Tuesday. 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 company has a market cap of $353.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.97, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.42. The company’s 50 day moving average is $84.77 and its 200 day moving average is $104.45. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 12-month low of $77.55 and a 12-month high of $148.15.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 EPS for the current year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.7874 per share. This is a positive change from Novo Nordisk A/S’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a dividend yield of 1.2%. Novo Nordisk A/S’s dividend payout ratio is currently 47.72%.

Novo Nordisk A/S 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.