Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Shares Sold by Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC

Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC lowered its position in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) by 10.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,881 shares of the company’s stock after selling 323 shares during the quarter. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $248,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Center for Financial Planning Inc. increased its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 72.4% in the fourth 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 period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 278 shares during the period. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 82.1% during the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the period. Finally, Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 11.54% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on NVO. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from $156.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note 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. UBS Group upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $145.25.

Novo Nordisk A/S Trading Up 1.8 %

Novo Nordisk A/S stock opened at $77.22 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $83.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $103.24. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 52 week low of $73.80 and a 52 week high of $148.15. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $346.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.47, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.42.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last issued 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 net margin of 34.81% and a return on equity of 84.68%. Research analysts forecast that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 EPS for the current year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.7874 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a dividend yield of 1.2%. This is a positive change from Novo Nordisk A/S’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. Novo Nordisk A/S’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.72%.

Novo Nordisk A/S Company 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.