Horizon Investment Services LLC Has $318,000 Stock Holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)

Horizon Investment Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) by 26.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,699 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 764 shares during the period. Horizon Investment Services LLC’s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $318,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NVO. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 16.5% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 204,583 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,360,000 after purchasing an additional 28,988 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Blueshift Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the third quarter worth about $231,000. Financial Counselors Inc. raised its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 11,009 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,311,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 3,310.3% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 51,222 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,099,000 after acquiring an additional 49,720 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 11.54% of the company’s stock.

Novo Nordisk A/S Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NVO opened at $69.36 on Friday. Novo Nordisk A/S has a twelve month low of $69.18 and a twelve month high of $148.15. The company has a market cap 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. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $82.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $99.11. 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 (NYSE:NVO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (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 predict that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 EPS 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. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.7874 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. 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. Novo Nordisk A/S’s dividend payout ratio is 47.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on NVO shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. 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 on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. UBS Group upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus downgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $145.25.

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.