Advisors Asset Management Inc. Sells 17,497 Shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)

Advisors Asset Management Inc. lessened its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) by 18.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 79,239 shares of the company’s stock after selling 17,497 shares during the quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $6,816,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Center for Financial Planning Inc. grew its holdings in 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 last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT increased its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 121.4% during the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 507 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 82.1% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S in the fourth quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors own 11.54% of the company’s stock.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NVO stock opened at $80.95 on Wednesday. Novo Nordisk A/S has a twelve month low of $73.80 and a twelve month high of $148.15. The stock has a market cap of $363.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.61, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.42. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $83.81 and a 200 day moving average of $101.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

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, 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.7874 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Novo Nordisk A/S’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. Novo Nordisk A/S’s payout ratio is currently 47.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NVO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus downgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. BNP Paribas raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.