Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Shares Sold by Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC

Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC reduced its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) by 10.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,881 shares of the company’s stock after selling 323 shares during the period. Ironwood Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $248,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Center for Financial Planning Inc. increased its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 72.4% in the 4th quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Albion Financial Group UT increased its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 121.4% in the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 507 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 82.1% in the 4th 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 purchased a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S in the 4th quarter valued at about $46,000. 11.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Performance

Shares of NVO stock opened at $77.22 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.74. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $83.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $103.24. Novo Nordisk A/S has a one year low of $73.80 and a one year high of $148.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $346.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.47, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.42.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last issued its 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This represents a yield of 1.2%. This is a boost from Novo Nordisk A/S’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. Novo Nordisk A/S’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from $156.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. UBS Group raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $145.25.

Novo Nordisk A/S 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.