Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Trading 1.4% Higher - Still a Buy?

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Get Free Report) shares were up 1.4% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $63.08 and last traded at $62.93. Approximately 1,748,372 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 71% from the average daily volume of 6,093,533 shares. The stock had previously closed at $62.08.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on NVO. UBS Group raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Guggenheim downgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "equal weight" rating for the company. Stifel Nicolaus downgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued a "market perform" rating and set a $64.00 target price (down from $105.00) on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. 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 one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $135.00.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Up 2.1 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $72.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $88.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $298.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.61.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $0.7874 dividend. This represents a yield of 1.2%. This is a boost from Novo Nordisk A/S's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. Novo Nordisk A/S's payout ratio is presently 49.54%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVO. Center for Financial Planning Inc. boosted its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 72.4% in the fourth quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 293 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL lifted its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 2,727.3% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 311 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 184.8% during the 1st quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 393 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 255 shares in the last quarter. North Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 11.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novo Nordisk A/S Company Profile

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.