Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Shares Acquired by Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 31,670 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $2,724,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Center for Financial Planning Inc. grew its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 72.4% in the fourth quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT grew its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 121.4% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 507 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 82.1% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 539 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S in the fourth quarter worth about $46,000. 11.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NVO has been the subject of a number of research reports. BNP Paribas upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Novo Nordisk A/S currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $145.25.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Performance

NVO opened at $77.22 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $83.95 and its 200-day moving average is $103.24. The stock has a market cap of $346.54 billion, a PE ratio of 23.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Novo Nordisk A/S has a twelve month low of $73.80 and a twelve month high of $148.15.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.03. Novo Nordisk A/S had a return on equity of 84.68% and a net margin of 34.81%. On average, analysts predict that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

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

About Novo Nordisk A/S

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.