KBC Group NV Sells 71,380 Shares of Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN)

KBC Group NV decreased its stake in shares of Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) by 74.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,011 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 71,380 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Nordson were worth $5,024,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Procyon Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Nordson by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 1,397 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $367,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Nordson by 1.0% during the third quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 4,005 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,052,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV grew its position in shares of Nordson by 1.5% in the third quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,863 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $752,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in shares of Nordson by 18.8% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 272 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Nordson by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,447 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $380,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. 72.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Stephen Lovass sold 1,299 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.79, for a total transaction of $268,620.21. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,347 shares in the company, valued at $1,519,286.13. This represents a 15.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer L. Mcdonough sold 225 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.27, for a total transaction of $59,010.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 3,287 shares in the company, valued at $862,081.49. This represents a 6.41 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,928 shares of company stock valued at $433,080. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Nordson Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NDSN opened at $220.63 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.60 billion, a PE ratio of 27.20, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.95. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $225.68 and a 200-day moving average of $241.61. Nordson Co. has a 12 month low of $196.83 and a 12 month high of $279.38.

Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, December 11th. The industrial products company reported $2.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.19. Nordson had a return on equity of 19.87% and a net margin of 17.37%. The firm had revenue of $744.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $736.83 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.46 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Nordson Co. will post 10.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nordson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were given a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 2nd. Nordson’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.47%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on NDSN shares. Baird R W cut Nordson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Loop Capital upgraded shares of Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Robert W. Baird restated a “neutral” rating and set a $237.00 target price (down previously from $294.00) on shares of Nordson in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their price target on Nordson from $295.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.25.

Nordson 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.