Exchange Traded Concepts LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S $NVO

Key Points

• Exchange Traded Concepts LLC cut its Novo Nordisk stake by 20.5% in the second quarter, selling 37,600 shares and retaining 146,234 shares valued at approximately $7.01 million.
• Other major institutional investors increased their positions, including Price T. Rowe Associates, which nearly doubled its stake; hedge funds and institutional investors collectively own 11.54% of NVO.
• Novo faces intensifying competition from Eli Lilly in obesity treatments, while analysts remain cautious: the stock carries a consensus “Hold” rating despite potential growth from oral Wegovy and a low earnings multiple.

Exchange Traded Concepts LLC reduced its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Free Report) by 20.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 146,234 shares of the company's stock after selling 37,600 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC's holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $7,010,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of NVO. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P grew its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 17,135,384 shares of the company's stock valued at $871,848,000 after purchasing an additional 969,916 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 14,702,508 shares of the company's stock worth $748,064,000 after buying an additional 717,719 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 12,842,089 shares of the company's stock valued at $653,406,000 after buying an additional 428,660 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 99.7% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 9,688,262 shares of the company's stock valued at $492,940,000 after buying an additional 4,836,285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $287,660,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 11.54% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Novo Nordisk A/S

Here are the key news stories impacting Novo Nordisk A/S this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CEO Mike Doustdar said the obesity-drug market will not be “winner-take-all,” arguing that patients’ differing preferences and demand for pills, injectables and other differentiated treatments should support multiple successful players. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Novo’s oral Wegovy appears to be generating strong prescription momentum, offering a potential new growth channel and helping the company compete beyond its injectable portfolio. However, investors are watching whether that momentum can offset Lilly’s faster growth. Zacks article
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded NVO from “strong sell” to “hold,” indicating that the stock’s sharp decline and low earnings multiple may have reduced some downside risk.
• Neutral Sentiment: Novo defended its lawsuit challenging Eli Lilly’s weight-loss advertising, saying competition must be fair. The litigation could protect Novo’s marketing position, but it also highlights the intensity of the competitive battle. CNBC article
• Neutral Sentiment: Novo’s CEO continues to promote a long runway for obesity treatments, citing low overall adoption and potential healthcare-cost benefits. These are long-term opportunities rather than immediate earnings catalysts. Fox Business article
• Negative Sentiment: Eli Lilly’s growing share in both injectable and oral weight-loss drugs is the main concern. Analysts warn that Lilly’s momentum could widen the competitive gap and limit the upside investors had anticipated from the Wegovy pill. Yahoo Finance article
• Negative Sentiment: Berenberg downgraded Novo from “buy” to “hold,” citing expectations that the initial Wegovy-pill upside is already reflected in the stock and valuing the company closer to the broader European pharmaceutical sector.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent analysis also points to flat Wegovy sales, pricing pressure and pipeline setbacks as near-term risks, helping explain why NVO has decreased despite its strong margins and broader cardiometabolic pipeline. Zacks analysis

Novo Nordisk A/S Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of NVO opened at $46.75 on Friday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $47.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $44.50. The company has a market cap of $208.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.43, a P/E/G ratio of 4.23 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59. Novo Nordisk A/S has a twelve month low of $35.12 and a twelve month high of $64.16.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The company reported $0.94 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $11.98 billion during the quarter. Novo Nordisk A/S had a net margin of 35.36% and a return on equity of 61.20%. As a group, analysts expect that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.39 EPS for the current year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.5786 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. This represents a dividend yield of 254.0%. Novo Nordisk A/S's dividend payout ratio is currently 42.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on NVO shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. HSBC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Monday, July 6th. Wall Street Zen cut Novo Nordisk A/S from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 20th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Berenberg Bank set a $47.00 price objective on Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Wednesday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and sixteen have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Novo Nordisk A/S presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $64.94.

Novo Nordisk A/S Profile

Novo Nordisk A/S is a Danish multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Bagsværd, Denmark, best known for its leadership in diabetes care and metabolic health. The company traces its roots to early Danish insulin production in the 1920s and was established in its current form through a 1989 merger of predecessor companies. Novo Nordisk develops, manufactures and markets pharmaceutical products and devices that address chronic and serious diseases, with a strong emphasis on long-term treatment and patient support.

The company’s core product portfolio centers on diabetes therapies, including a range of insulins and modern incretin-based treatments.

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