Flputnam Investment Management Co. Reduces Position in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)

Flputnam Investment Management Co. lowered its position in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) by 13.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,695 shares of the company’s stock after selling 897 shares during the quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $490,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 75.1% during the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 1,052,712 shares of the company’s stock worth $90,477,000 after purchasing an additional 451,641 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the third quarter valued at about $42,017,000. DSM Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 16.7% during the fourth quarter. DSM Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,007,412 shares of the company’s stock worth $172,678,000 after buying an additional 286,912 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 2,655.9% during the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 280,409 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,388,000 after buying an additional 270,234 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 53.5% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 729,965 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,183,000 after acquiring an additional 254,475 shares during the period. 11.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Performance

NYSE:NVO opened at $89.42 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $84.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $106.18. 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 stock has a market cap of $401.28 billion, a PE ratio of 27.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.45. Novo Nordisk A/S has a fifty-two week low of $77.82 and a fifty-two week high of $148.15.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 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%. Analysts expect that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on NVO shares. BNP Paribas raised Novo Nordisk A/S to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. 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. BMO Capital Markets cut 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. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Novo Nordisk A/S currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $145.25.

About Novo Nordisk A/S

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.