Sustainable Growth Advisers LP Purchases 1,021,498 Shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)

Sustainable Growth Advisers LP increased its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) by 23.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,340,803 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,021,498 shares during the period. Novo Nordisk A/S accounts for approximately 2.3% of Sustainable Growth Advisers LP’s holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP owned about 0.12% of Novo Nordisk A/S worth $459,416,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Center for Financial Planning Inc. lifted its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 72.4% during the 4th quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT increased its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 121.4% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 507 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 82.1% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S in the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. 11.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on NVO shares. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. UBS Group upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, December 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from $156.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Novo Nordisk A/S presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $145.25.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Performance

NYSE NVO opened at $74.75 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $84.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $103.83. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 12-month low of $73.80 and a 12-month 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 company has a market cap of $335.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.72, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.42.

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 return on equity of 84.68% and a net margin of 34.81%. Sell-side analysts predict that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued 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 payout ratio is presently 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.