Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Shares Sold by Ieq Capital LLC

Ieq Capital LLC lessened its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) by 5.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 35,431 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,855 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC’s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $3,048,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Center for Financial Planning Inc. grew its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 72.4% during 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. purchased a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the 3rd quarter worth about $42,000. Albion Financial Group UT increased its holdings in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 82.1% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 539 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares in the last quarter. 11.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novo Nordisk A/S Trading Up 5.2 %

Shares of Novo Nordisk A/S stock opened at $88.07 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.74. The company has a market capitalization of $395.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.77, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.45. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 1 year low of $77.82 and a 1 year high of $148.15. The company’s fifty day moving average is $86.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $108.07.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (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%. Analysts forecast that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.7874 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is a boost from Novo Nordisk A/S’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. Novo Nordisk A/S’s dividend payout ratio is 21.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Novo Nordisk A/S from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price 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. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, December 29th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Novo Nordisk A/S has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $145.25.

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.