Guardian Capital LP Increases Stake in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)

Guardian Capital LP grew its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Free Report) by 10.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 211,452 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 20,586 shares during the quarter. Guardian Capital LP's holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $18,189,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC now owns 3,182 shares of the company's stock worth $274,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the period. Center for Financial Planning Inc. boosted its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 72.4% during the fourth quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 293 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 4,984 shares of the company's stock worth $429,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 23,094 shares of the company's stock worth $1,987,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Indie Asset Partners LLC lifted its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Indie Asset Partners LLC now owns 3,128 shares of the company's stock valued at $269,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 11.54% of the company's stock.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NVO stock traded down $0.78 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $65.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 16,425,713 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,196,145. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.74. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 52-week low of $57.00 and a 52-week high of $148.15. The stock has a market cap of $294.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.96, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.61. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $71.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $88.32.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.03. Novo Nordisk A/S had a net margin of 34.81% and a return on equity of 84.68%. Research analysts predict that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $0.7874 dividend. This is an increase from Novo Nordisk A/S's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. This represents a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. Novo Nordisk A/S's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 49.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a "market perform" rating and issued a $64.00 price target (down from $105.00) on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "equal weight" rating for the company. Kepler Capital Markets raised Novo Nordisk A/S from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com raised Novo Nordisk A/S from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus downgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Novo Nordisk A/S presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $135.00.

About Novo Nordisk A/S

Novo Nordisk A/S, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the research and development, manufacture, and distribution of pharmaceutical products in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, North America, and internationally. It operates in two segments, Diabetes and Obesity Care, and Rare Disease.