Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Stock Price Up 2.7% - Still a Buy?

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Get Free Report) shares were up 2.7% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $60.18 and last traded at $59.91. Approximately 4,940,759 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 18% from the average daily volume of 6,007,832 shares. The stock had previously closed at $58.33.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on NVO shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "equal weight" rating for the company. UBS Group upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Stifel Nicolaus downgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $135.00.

Novo Nordisk A/S Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $278.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.87, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The business's 50 day moving average is $73.62 and its 200-day moving average is $89.61.

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

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novo Nordisk A/S

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NVO. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 58.5% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 62,897 shares of the company's stock worth $5,410,000 after acquiring an additional 23,223 shares in the last quarter. Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 45.3% in the 4th quarter. Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC now owns 63,732 shares of the company's stock worth $5,482,000 after purchasing an additional 19,870 shares in the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 358.8% during the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 38,898 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,346,000 after purchasing an additional 30,420 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S during the fourth quarter worth $86,000. Finally, Talbot Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the fourth quarter valued at $4,066,000. 11.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.