Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) Shares Purchased by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) by 6.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 84,697 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,919 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in Nordson were worth $21,841,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Nordson during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Nordson by 70.7% in the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 140 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Nordson by 130.0% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 161 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. acquired a new position in Nordson during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $46,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Nordson by 2,387.5% during the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 199 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.11% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Nordson news, EVP Joseph P. Kelley sold 3,000 shares of Nordson stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.98, for a total transaction of $749,940.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 8,659 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,164,576.82. The trade was a 25.73 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen Lovass sold 317 shares of Nordson stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.75, for a total transaction of $82,657.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,738,159.50. This trade represents a 4.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 3,629 shares of company stock worth $914,400. Corporate insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

Nordson Trading Down 1.8 %

NASDAQ:NDSN opened at $208.94 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $11.95 billion, a PE ratio of 25.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.90. The business’s 50 day moving average is $251.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $245.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.52, a current ratio of 2.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Nordson Co. has a 52 week low of $208.82 and a 52 week high of $279.38.

Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, December 11th. The industrial products company reported $2.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.19. Nordson had a return on equity of 19.87% and a net margin of 17.37%. The firm had revenue of $744.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $736.83 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.46 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Nordson Co. will post 10.34 EPS for the current year.

Nordson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be issued a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.49%. Nordson’s payout ratio is currently 38.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Baird R W cut Nordson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. DA Davidson lowered their target price on shares of Nordson from $295.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $237.00 target price (down previously from $294.00) on shares of Nordson in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Nordson currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $279.00.

Nordson 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.