Clark & Stuart Inc Takes $4.14 Million Position in Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN)

Clark & Stuart Inc bought a new position in shares of Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 19,772 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,137,000. Nordson accounts for approximately 3.0% of Clark & Stuart Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in Nordson by 289.2% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 260,312 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $60,377,000 after purchasing an additional 193,421 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Nordson by 7.2% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,638,375 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $692,916,000 after buying an additional 177,282 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Nordson by 26,109.1% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 104,050 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,327,000 after acquiring an additional 103,653 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its position in Nordson by 2.7% during the second quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 2,591,323 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $601,032,000 after acquiring an additional 68,810 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Nordson by 71.0% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 157,582 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $41,386,000 after acquiring an additional 65,436 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.11% of the company’s stock.

Nordson Stock Performance

NASDAQ:NDSN opened at $200.12 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a current ratio of 2.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.41 billion, a PE ratio of 24.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.95. Nordson Co. has a fifty-two week low of $196.83 and a fifty-two week high of $279.38. The company has a fifty day moving average of $236.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $243.07.

Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, December 11th. The industrial products company reported $2.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.19. Nordson had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 19.87%. The firm had revenue of $744.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $736.83 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.46 EPS. Nordson’s quarterly revenue was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Nordson Co. will post 10.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Nordson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 16th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 2nd. Nordson’s payout ratio is 38.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on NDSN shares. Baird R W lowered shares of Nordson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Robert W. Baird reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $237.00 price objective (down previously from $294.00) on shares of Nordson in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, DA Davidson dropped their target price on Nordson from $295.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $279.00.

Insider Activity at Nordson

In other Nordson news, EVP Jennifer L. Mcdonough sold 225 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.27, for a total transaction of $59,010.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 3,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $862,081.49. The trade was a 6.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephen Lovass sold 317 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.75, for a total value of $82,657.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,666 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,738,159.50. This trade represents a 4.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,928 shares of company stock valued at $433,080. 0.86% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Nordson Profile

Nordson Corporation engineers, manufactures, and markets products and systems to dispense, apply, and control adhesives, coatings, polymers, sealants, biomaterials, and other fluids worldwide. It operates through three segments: Industrial Precision Solutions; Medical and Fluid Solutions; and Advanced Technology Solutions.