O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Decreases Position in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC cut its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 289,561 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,388 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $24,908,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Menard Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Menard Financial Group LLC now owns 12,283 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,463,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC lifted its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Optimist Retirement Group LLC now owns 2,747 shares of the company’s stock worth $327,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC boosted its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC now owns 3,182 shares of the company’s stock worth $274,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. raised its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 72.4% during the 4th quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tradewinds Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 4,984 shares of the company’s stock worth $429,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 11.54% of the company’s stock.

Novo Nordisk A/S Trading Down 1.1 %

NYSE:NVO opened at $69.36 on Monday. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 12-month low of $67.60 and a 12-month high of $148.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $82.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $98.64. The firm 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.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share 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%. Equities analysts anticipate 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. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.7874 dividend. This is a boost from Novo Nordisk A/S’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. This represents a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. Novo Nordisk A/S’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NVO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from $156.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. StockNews.com cut Novo Nordisk A/S from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Stifel Nicolaus cut Novo Nordisk A/S from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Novo Nordisk A/S from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Novo Nordisk A/S to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.