Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Shares Down 1.2% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) fell 1.2% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $77.52 and last traded at $78.03. 2,310,780 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 57% from the average session volume of 5,340,098 shares. The stock had previously closed at $78.95.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BNP Paribas upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $145.25.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $350.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.42. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $84.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $104.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last announced 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.7874 dividend. 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 dividend yield of 1.2%. Novo Nordisk A/S’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.72%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NVO. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Center for Financial Planning Inc. boosted 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 worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL increased its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 2,727.3% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 311 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S in the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 11.54% of the company’s stock.

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.