Centiva Capital LP Invests $496,000 in Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN)

Centiva Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 2,371 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $496,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NDSN. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Nordson in the fourth quarter worth $4,553,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Nordson by 4.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 295,962 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $77,723,000 after buying an additional 13,184 shares in the last quarter. Southern Style Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Nordson in the fourth quarter worth $399,000. Clark & Stuart Inc purchased a new position in shares of Nordson in the fourth quarter worth $4,137,000. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Nordson by 34.5% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 8,895 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,861,000 after buying an additional 2,282 shares in the last quarter. 72.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Nordson Price Performance

Nordson stock traded down $1.47 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $201.13. 316,207 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 305,972. 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 $165.03 and a 12-month high of $275.80. The company has a market cap of $11.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.59, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.90. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $193.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $216.36.

Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by ($0.02). Nordson had a net margin of 16.93% and a return on equity of 19.28%. The firm had revenue of $615.42 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $639.40 million. Equities analysts forecast that Nordson Co. will post 10.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Nordson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. Nordson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on NDSN shares. BNP Paribas downgraded shares of Nordson from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $219.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, February 24th. Loop Capital raised shares of Nordson from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $255.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp decreased their price target on shares of Nordson from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $250.20.

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.