Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. Acquires 5,924 Shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)

Stegent Equity Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) by 34.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,157 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,924 shares during the period. Novo Nordisk A/S comprises approximately 2.0% of Stegent Equity Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Stegent Equity Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $1,992,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Walter Public Investments Inc. increased its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 18.4% during the fourth quarter. Walter Public Investments Inc. now owns 199,057 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,123,000 after purchasing an additional 30,912 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the fourth quarter worth $515,000. Oakwell Private Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 12.5% during the fourth quarter. Oakwell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,163 shares of the company’s stock worth $702,000 after purchasing an additional 904 shares in the last quarter. Impact Investors Inc acquired a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the fourth quarter worth $430,000. Finally, Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. increased its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. now owns 290,101 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,954,000 after purchasing an additional 8,306 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 11.54% of the company’s stock.

Novo Nordisk A/S Price Performance

Shares of NVO opened at $89.67 on Thursday. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 1-year low of $77.82 and a 1-year high of $148.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $402.41 billion, a PE ratio of 27.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.45. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $84.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $107.30.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 EPS for the current year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.7874 dividend. This represents a yield of 1.2%. This is a positive change from Novo Nordisk A/S’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Novo Nordisk A/S’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on NVO shares. UBS Group raised Novo Nordisk A/S from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $160.00 price objective on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, December 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Novo Nordisk A/S presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $145.25.

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.