Norsk Hydro ASA (OTCMKTS:NHYDY) Sees Strong Trading Volume - Time to Buy?

Key Points

• Unusually strong trading volume: About 501,179 shares traded on Monday (a 152% increase from the prior session) and the stock last traded at $11.285, above its 50‑day ($9.83) and 200‑day ($8.38) moving averages.
• Analyst views are mixed and consensus is "Hold": Analysts break down as 1 Strong Buy, 3 Buy, 5 Hold and 3 Sell, with notable moves including Goldman Sachs upgrading to strong‑buy and Citigroup to buy while others trimmed ratings.
• Recent earnings beat but relatively rich valuation: The company reported $0.07 EPS versus $0.03 expected and topped revenue estimates, while market cap is $22.38B and the P/E is 36.48 (PEG 1.29).

Shares of Norsk Hydro ASA (OTCMKTS:NHYDY - Get Free Report) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Monday . Approximately 501,179 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 152% from the previous session's volume of 198,576 shares.The stock last traded at $11.2850 and had previously closed at $10.93.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley restated an "equal weight" rating on shares of Norsk Hydro ASA in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Norsk Hydro ASA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Norsk Hydro ASA from a "strong sell" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Citigroup upgraded shares of Norsk Hydro ASA from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Danske cut shares of Norsk Hydro ASA from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Norsk Hydro ASA Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The stock has a market cap of $22.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.48, a PEG ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.98. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $9.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $8.38.

Norsk Hydro ASA (OTCMKTS:NHYDY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The industrial products company reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.03 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $4.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.82 billion. Norsk Hydro ASA had a net margin of 3.06% and a return on equity of 9.44%. Analysts forecast that Norsk Hydro ASA will post 0.72 earnings per share for the current year.

About Norsk Hydro ASA

Norsk Hydro ASA is a Norwegian industrial company with a primary focus on aluminum production and renewable energy. Established in 1905, the company has grown from its roots in fertilizer manufacturing to become one of the world's largest integrated aluminum producers. Its operations span the full value chain, including bauxite mining, alumina refining, primary aluminum production, and downstream processing of rolled and extruded products.

In addition to its aluminum business, Hydro maintains a significant portfolio of hydropower assets to support its energy-intensive processes.

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