Analysts Set Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) PT at $279.25

Shares of Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the seven brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $279.25.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $237.00 price objective (down previously from $294.00) on shares of Nordson in a report on Friday, December 13th. Baird R W downgraded Nordson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Loop Capital upgraded Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, DA Davidson lowered their price objective on Nordson from $295.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 13th.

Nordson Stock Performance

Shares of NDSN stock opened at $215.30 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a market cap of $12.29 billion, a PE ratio of 26.55, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.95. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $221.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $240.81. Nordson has a 52 week low of $196.83 and a 52 week high of $279.38.

Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, December 11th. The industrial products company reported $2.78 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $744.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $736.83 million. Nordson had a return on equity of 19.87% and a net margin of 17.37%. The company’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.46 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Nordson will post 10.2 EPS for the current year.

Nordson Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were given a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.45%. Nordson’s payout ratio is 38.47%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Nordson news, EVP Stephen Lovass sold 1,299 shares of Nordson stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.79, for a total value of $268,620.21. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,347 shares in the company, valued at $1,519,286.13. The trade was a 15.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Jennifer L. Mcdonough sold 225 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.27, for a total value of $59,010.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 3,287 shares in the company, valued at $862,081.49. The trade was a 6.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 1,928 shares of company stock worth $433,080. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nordson

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Nordson by 130.0% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 161 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt acquired a new position in Nordson in the third quarter worth approximately $53,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of Nordson by 26.1% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 251 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its position in shares of Nordson by 695.0% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 318 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its stake in Nordson by 18.8% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 272 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.11% of the company’s stock.

Nordson Company Profile

Nordson Corporation engineers, manufactures, and markets products and systems to dispense, apply, and control adhesives, coatings, polymers, sealants, biomaterials, and other fluids worldwide. It operates through three segments: Industrial Precision Solutions; Medical and Fluid Solutions; and Advanced Technology Solutions.