Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $145.25.

NVO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating on the stock. UBS Group raised Novo Nordisk A/S from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Kepler Capital Markets raised Novo Nordisk A/S from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price target 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.

Novo Nordisk A/S Price Performance

NVO opened at $69.36 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $82.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $99.11. 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 has a 1 year low of $69.18 and a 1 year high of $148.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $311.23 billion, a PE ratio of 21.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.42.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NVO. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 58.5% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 62,897 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,410,000 after purchasing an additional 23,223 shares during the period. Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC grew its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 45.3% during the 4th quarter. Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC now owns 63,732 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,482,000 after purchasing an additional 19,870 shares in the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 358.8% during the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 38,898 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,346,000 after purchasing an additional 30,420 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the fourth quarter valued at $86,000. Finally, Talbot Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the fourth quarter worth $4,066,000. Institutional investors own 11.54% of the company’s stock.

About Novo Nordisk A/S

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.