Xponance Inc. Grows Holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)

Xponance Inc. increased its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,156 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 146 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $271,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Horizon Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 207.0% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 2,514 shares of the company’s stock valued at $216,000 after buying an additional 1,695 shares in the last quarter. PDS Planning Inc lifted its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 13,306 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,145,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. now owns 10,049 shares of the company’s stock valued at $864,000 after purchasing an additional 525 shares in the last quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. now owns 13,185 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,134,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Finally, Axxcess Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 29,748 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,559,000 after buying an additional 2,285 shares in the last quarter. 11.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Down 2.2 %

NVO stock opened at $70.18 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $82.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $99.54. Novo Nordisk A/S has a twelve month low of $69.77 and a twelve 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 stock has a market cap of $314.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.33, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.42.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last announced 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 net margin of 34.81% and a return on equity of 84.68%. Research analysts expect that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.2%. Novo Nordisk A/S’s payout ratio is 47.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Novo Nordisk A/S from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. BNP Paribas raised Novo Nordisk A/S to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Novo Nordisk A/S has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $145.25.

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.