Lazard Asset Management LLC Purchases 47,052 Shares of Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN)

Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN - Free Report) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,561,866 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 47,052 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned about 2.74% of Nordson worth $326,803,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. New York Life Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Nordson by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 7,314 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,530,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in Nordson by 26.1% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 251 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Nordson by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. now owns 3,308 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $692,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Nordson by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,223 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $884,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Nordson by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,493 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $312,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. 72.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Nordson Price Performance

NDSN stock traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $201.10. 277,467 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 306,268. Nordson Co. has a 52-week low of $165.03 and a 52-week high of $274.72. The company has a market capitalization of $11.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 2.53 and a quick ratio of 1.51. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $193.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $216.25.

Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.08 by ($0.02). Nordson had a return on equity of 19.28% and a net margin of 16.93%. The business had revenue of $615.42 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $639.40 million. As a group, analysts anticipate 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. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a $0.78 dividend. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. Nordson's payout ratio is currently 39.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on NDSN. Loop Capital upgraded shares of Nordson from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. KeyCorp reduced their target price on Nordson from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company 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.