Saratoga Research & Investment Management Decreases Stake in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)

Saratoga Research & Investment Management lessened its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 700,634 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,885 shares during the period. Novo Nordisk A/S comprises about 3.0% of Saratoga Research & Investment Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Saratoga Research & Investment Management’s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $60,269,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 58.5% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 62,897 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,410,000 after buying an additional 23,223 shares during the period. Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 45.3% in the fourth quarter. Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC now owns 63,732 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,482,000 after acquiring an additional 19,870 shares during the period. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 358.8% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the fourth quarter valued at $86,000. Finally, Talbot Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the 4th quarter valued at $4,066,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 11.54% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NVO has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group raised Novo Nordisk A/S from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Novo Nordisk A/S from $156.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Finally, StockNews.com cut Novo Nordisk A/S from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Three 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Novo Nordisk A/S presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $145.25.

Novo Nordisk A/S Trading Down 1.1 %

NYSE NVO opened at $69.36 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $311.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.08, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. Novo Nordisk A/S has a twelve month low of $67.38 and a twelve month high of $148.15. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $82.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $98.64.

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

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

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