Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Shares Down 0.2%

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded down 0.2% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $123.24 and last traded at $124.60. 1,004,508 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 5,020,159 shares. The stock had previously closed at $124.86.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NVO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $160.00 price objective on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Monday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. They set a "neutral" rating on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $126.25.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $125.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $109.16. The firm has a market cap of $560.58 billion, a PE ratio of 46.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.41.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $9.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.14 billion. Novo Nordisk A/S had a net margin of 36.03% and a return on equity of 90.36%. Research analysts forecast that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a Semi-Annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, March 25th were issued a $0.664 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 22nd. This is an increase from Novo Nordisk A/S's previous Semi-Annual dividend of $0.22. Novo Nordisk A/S's payout ratio is currently 49.17%.

Institutional Trading of Novo Nordisk A/S

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NVO. Pacific Center for Financial Services boosted its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 100.0% in the third quarter. Pacific Center for Financial Services now owns 270 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Copeland Capital Management LLC raised its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 282 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 79.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 286 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the period. CNB Bank acquired a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Citizens National Bank Trust Department increased its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 100.0% during the third quarter. Citizens National Bank Trust Department now owns 300 shares of the company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. 11.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.