Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN) Hits New 12-Month Low Following Insider Selling

Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) shares reached a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $203.10 and last traded at $203.56, with a volume of 13719 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $205.43.

Specifically, EVP Stephen Lovass sold 1,299 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.79, for a total value of $268,620.21. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,347 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,519,286.13. This trade represents a 15.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on NDSN shares. Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $237.00 price objective (down previously from $294.00) on shares of Nordson in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Baird R W cut Nordson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, DA Davidson lowered their target price on Nordson from $295.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $279.00.

Nordson Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a current ratio of 2.41. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $237.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $243.10. The stock has a market cap of $11.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.95.

Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 11th. The industrial products company reported $2.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $736.83 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.46 EPS. Nordson’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Nordson Co. will post 10.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nordson Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.57%. Nordson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.47%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nordson

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NDSN. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Nordson in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Nordson by 130.0% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 161 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt bought a new stake in shares of Nordson in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Covestor Ltd raised its position in shares of Nordson by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 272 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its stake in Nordson by 84.3% during the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 363 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.11% of the company’s stock.

Nordson Company 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.