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 recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $145.25.

NVO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $160.00 target price on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. BNP Paribas raised Novo Nordisk A/S to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. StockNews.com cut Novo Nordisk A/S from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered 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.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BridgePort Financial Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $540,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Employees Retirement System of Texas increased its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 9.9% in the fourth quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas now owns 72,964 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,276,000 after purchasing an additional 6,560 shares during the last quarter. Brucke Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S during the fourth quarter worth about $542,000. Finally, Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC grew its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 920.6% in the 4th quarter. Carolinas Wealth Consulting LLC now owns 1,092 shares of the company’s stock valued at $94,000 after buying an additional 985 shares during the period. 11.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novo Nordisk A/S Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of Novo Nordisk A/S stock opened at $89.42 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $84.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $106.18. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 1 year low of $77.82 and a 1 year high of $148.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.74. The company has a market capitalization of $401.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.18, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.45.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts forecast that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.7874 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 1.2%. This is a boost 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 payout ratio is 47.72%.

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.