Marietta Investment Partners LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)

Marietta Investment Partners LLC lowered its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) by 11.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 145,698 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,595 shares during the period. Novo Nordisk A/S accounts for 2.8% of Marietta Investment Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Marietta Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $12,533,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NVO. Center for Financial Planning Inc. raised its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 72.4% during the 4th 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. bought a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT raised its stake in 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 period. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 82.1% in the 4th 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 bought a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S in the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. Institutional investors own 11.54% of the company’s stock.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Performance

NYSE:NVO opened at $76.88 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $344.98 billion, a PE ratio of 23.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.42. Novo Nordisk A/S has a twelve month low of $73.80 and a twelve month high of $148.15. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $83.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $101.22.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. BNP Paribas upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. 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. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets raised Novo Nordisk A/S from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.