Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Trims Stock Position in Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV cut its holdings in Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN - Free Report) by 12.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 14,984 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 2,092 shares during the quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV's holdings in Nordson were worth $3,135,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NDSN. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Nordson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $142,670,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Nordson in the 4th quarter valued at $74,005,000. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in Nordson by 676.5% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 246,317 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $51,539,000 after buying an additional 214,594 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Nordson by 19.2% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 693,627 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $145,135,000 after acquiring an additional 111,538 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Nordson by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,226,757 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,302,887,000 after acquiring an additional 93,146 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.11% of the company's stock.

Nordson Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NDSN stock traded down $1.48 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $192.62. 251,359 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 305,303. Nordson Co. has a 12 month low of $165.03 and a 12 month high of $279.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 2.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market cap of $10.96 billion, a PE ratio of 24.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.90. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $193.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $217.22.

Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 company had revenue of $615.42 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $639.40 million. Nordson had a return on equity of 19.28% and a net margin of 16.93%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Nordson Co. will post 10.2 EPS for the current year.

Nordson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. Nordson's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NDSN has been the subject of a number of research reports. Loop Capital raised Nordson from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. 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 report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, KeyCorp lowered their target price on Nordson from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.