Versor Investments LP Acquires 137 Shares of Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN)

Versor Investments LP lifted its holdings in shares of Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) by 10.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,500 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the quarter. Versor Investments LP’s holdings in Nordson were worth $314,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Nordson by 13.2% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 173,373 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $45,533,000 after acquiring an additional 20,217 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Nordson by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 514,557 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $135,138,000 after purchasing an additional 48,720 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Nordson by 23.6% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 321,742 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $84,499,000 after purchasing an additional 61,430 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Nordson by 113.8% during the 3rd quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 29,170 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $7,661,000 after purchasing an additional 15,524 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Nordson by 47.5% during the 3rd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 15,677 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $4,117,000 after purchasing an additional 5,046 shares during the last quarter. 72.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Nordson Price Performance

Shares of NDSN stock opened at $207.10 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 2.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Nordson Co. has a 12 month low of $196.83 and a 12 month high of $279.38. The firm has a market cap of $11.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.35, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $213.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $237.84.

Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $615.42 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $639.40 million. Nordson had a net margin of 16.93% and a return on equity of 19.28%. Research analysts expect that Nordson Co. will post 10.2 EPS for the current year.

Nordson Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were given a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.51%. Nordson’s payout ratio is currently 39.69%.

Insider Activity

In other Nordson news, EVP Stephen Lovass sold 1,299 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly 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 document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NDSN has been the topic of several research analyst reports. BNP Paribas cut shares of Nordson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $219.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Loop Capital raised Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $255.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Robert W. Baird restated a “neutral” rating and set a $237.00 target price (down previously from $294.00) on shares of Nordson in a report on Friday, December 13th. DA Davidson cut their price target on Nordson from $295.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Nordson currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $255.25.

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.