F M Investments LLC Trims Stake in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)

F M Investments LLC cut its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Free Report) by 27.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 130,366 shares of the company's stock after selling 50,355 shares during the period. F M Investments LLC's holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $11,214,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. GQG Partners LLC grew its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 74.7% in the fourth quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 12,994,533 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,117,790,000 after acquiring an additional 5,556,460 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $404,910,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P increased its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 34.2% during the fourth quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 11,571,686 shares of the company's stock worth $995,397,000 after acquiring an additional 2,947,771 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 59.8% in the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,283,317 shares of the company's stock valued at $368,451,000 after acquiring an additional 1,602,549 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sustainable Growth Advisers LP grew its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 23.6% in the fourth quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP now owns 5,340,803 shares of the company's stock valued at $459,416,000 after purchasing an additional 1,021,498 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 11.54% of the company's stock.

Novo Nordisk A/S Price Performance

Novo Nordisk A/S stock traded up $1.01 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $65.74. 4,006,222 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,806,851. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $77.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $93.34. Novo Nordisk A/S has a one year low of $59.32 and a one year high of $148.15. The stock has a market cap of $295.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.61.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 EPS 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%. On average, equities analysts predict 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 disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.7874 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a yield of 1.2%. This is a positive change from Novo Nordisk A/S's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. Novo Nordisk A/S's payout ratio is presently 49.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on NVO. StockNews.com raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on 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. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "equal weight" rating for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus downgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Novo Nordisk A/S presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $145.25.

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.