Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Shares Purchased by Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd

Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd boosted its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) by 66.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,000 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,000 shares during the period. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd’s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $860,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Center for Financial Planning Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 72.4% in the 4th quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S during the 3rd quarter worth $42,000. Albion Financial Group UT lifted its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 121.4% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 507 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 278 shares during the period. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 82.1% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the period. 11.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Performance

NVO stock opened at $90.68 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $84.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $106.72. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 1-year low of $77.82 and a 1-year high of $148.15. The firm has a market cap of $406.91 billion, a PE ratio of 27.56, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.45. 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 (NYSE:NVO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, research 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 company 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 represents a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date 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 payout ratio is currently 47.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $160.00 target price on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. StockNews.com lowered Novo Nordisk A/S from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Novo Nordisk A/S from $156.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Novo Nordisk A/S presently 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.