Analysts Set Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Price Target at $145.25

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $145.25.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on NVO. UBS Group upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com cut Novo Nordisk A/S from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Performance

NYSE:NVO opened at $69.36 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $311.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.08, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $82.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $98.64. Novo Nordisk A/S has a twelve month low of $67.71 and a twelve month high of $148.15.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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, equities analysts predict 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 will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.7874 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date 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 dividend payout ratio is 47.72%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novo Nordisk A/S

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 58.5% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 62,897 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,410,000 after acquiring an additional 23,223 shares during the period. Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 45.3% in the fourth quarter. Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC now owns 63,732 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,482,000 after purchasing an additional 19,870 shares during the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 358.8% during the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 38,898 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,346,000 after purchasing an additional 30,420 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $86,000. Finally, Talbot Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S in the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,066,000. 11.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.