Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Shares Down 1.1% – Should You Sell?

Shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) dropped 1.1% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $77.82 and last traded at $77.94. Approximately 9,865,736 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 3% from the average daily volume of 9,598,048 shares. The stock had previously closed at $78.83.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on NVO shares. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and set a $160.00 target price on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. BNP Paribas upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, December 29th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $145.25.

Novo Nordisk A/S Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market cap of $374.18 billion, a PE ratio of 25.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.45. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $87.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $108.84.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.7874 per share. This represents a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is an increase from Novo Nordisk A/S’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. Novo Nordisk A/S’s payout ratio is presently 21.88%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Center for Financial Planning Inc. lifted its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 72.4% during the 4th quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL lifted its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 2,727.3% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 311 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA acquired a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. 11.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.