Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Stock Price Down 1.2% – Should You Sell?

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)’s share price was down 1.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $72.16 and last traded at $72.69. Approximately 2,526,132 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 54% from the average daily volume of 5,437,857 shares. The stock had previously closed at $73.60.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Novo Nordisk A/S from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $145.25.

Novo Nordisk A/S Trading Down 1.1 %

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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $82.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $99.54.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.7874 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a yield of 1.2%. This is a boost from Novo Nordisk A/S’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. Novo Nordisk A/S’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.72%.

Institutional Trading of Novo Nordisk A/S

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 58.5% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 62,897 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,410,000 after acquiring an additional 23,223 shares during the last quarter. Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC increased its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 45.3% during the fourth quarter. Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC now owns 63,732 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,482,000 after buying an additional 19,870 shares in the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 358.8% in the fourth quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 38,898 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,346,000 after acquiring an additional 30,420 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S in the 4th quarter valued at about $86,000. Finally, Talbot Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,066,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 11.54% of the company’s stock.

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.