Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Trading Down 0.2% - Should You Sell?

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Get Free Report) was down 0.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $66.86 and last traded at $66.34. Approximately 5,957,800 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 3% from the average daily volume of 6,154,287 shares. The stock had previously closed at $66.45.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on NVO shares. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They issued an "underperform" rating for the company. Guggenheim cut Novo Nordisk A/S from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group raised Novo Nordisk A/S from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $135.00.

Novo Nordisk A/S Price Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average of $71.91 and a 200-day moving average of $88.32. 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 has a market cap of $310.85 billion, a PE ratio of 21.05, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.61.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This is an increase from Novo Nordisk A/S's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. Novo Nordisk A/S's dividend payout ratio is currently 49.54%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novo Nordisk A/S

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 15,492,384 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,332,655,000 after buying an additional 1,165,955 shares during the period. GQG Partners LLC raised its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 74.7% during the fourth quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 12,994,533 shares of the company's stock worth $1,117,790,000 after acquiring an additional 5,556,460 shares during the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lifted its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 34.2% in the 4th quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 11,571,686 shares of the company's stock valued at $995,397,000 after buying an additional 2,947,771 shares in the last quarter. Folketrygdfondet boosted its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 6.9% during the first quarter. Folketrygdfondet now owns 9,521,912 shares of the company's stock valued at $661,202,000 after acquiring an additional 617,974 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 8,312,996 shares of the company's stock valued at $715,084,000 after buying an additional 123,681 shares during the last quarter. 11.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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