Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Increases Stock Holdings in Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN)

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) by 4.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,498 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 534 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Nordson were worth $2,824,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of Nordson by 26.1% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 251 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Nordson by 73.7% in the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 271 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in Nordson by 695.0% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 318 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new position in Nordson during the fourth quarter worth $98,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Nordson in the third quarter valued at $109,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.11% of the company’s stock.

Nordson Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ NDSN opened at $205.93 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $11.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 2.53, a quick ratio of 1.51 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $213.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $233.04.

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

Nordson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Nordson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.69%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Loop Capital raised Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $280.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Baird R W lowered shares of Nordson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. DA Davidson lowered their target price on shares of Nordson from $295.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, BNP Paribas lowered shares of Nordson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $219.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Monday, February 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $256.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Stephen Lovass sold 1,299 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.79, for a total transaction of $268,620.21. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,519,286.13. This trade represents a 15.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

About Nordson

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.