Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Trading 5.3% Higher – Should You Buy?

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) shares traded up 5.3% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $82.68 and last traded at $82.03. 4,842,355 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 47% from the average session volume of 9,184,690 shares. The stock had previously closed at $77.87.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NVO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating for the company. BNP Paribas raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. 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. StockNews.com cut shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, December 29th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $145.25.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Up 5.9 %

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $87.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $109.15. The firm has a market cap of $369.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.06, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.74.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 expect that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.86 EPS for the current year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.7874 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a dividend yield of 1.2%. 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 (DPR) is currently 21.88%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Center for Financial Planning Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL grew its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 2,727.3% in the fourth quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 311 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. bought a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA bought a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Institutional investors own 11.54% of the company’s stock.

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.