James Investment Research Inc. Lowers Stake in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)

James Investment Research Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Free Report) by 42.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 5,093 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,757 shares during the period. James Investment Research Inc.'s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $438,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. WCM Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 4,031,124 shares of the company's stock valued at $345,588,000 after buying an additional 40,475 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 3,074,876 shares of the company's stock worth $366,125,000 after buying an additional 80,070 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 10,608.4% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,813,571 shares of the company's stock valued at $215,942,000 after purchasing an additional 1,796,635 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 1,362,782 shares of the company's stock valued at $162,266,000 after purchasing an additional 47,496 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $90,477,000 after purchasing an additional 451,641 shares during the last quarter. 11.54% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novo Nordisk A/S Price Performance

NVO traded up $1.06 on Wednesday, reaching $83.39. 4,319,285 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,152,818. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market cap of $374.22 billion, a PE ratio of 25.33, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.45. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $87.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $108.84. Novo Nordisk A/S has a twelve month low of $77.82 and a twelve month high of $148.15.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 EPS for the current year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a dividend of $0.7874 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a yield of 1.2%. This is an increase from Novo Nordisk A/S's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. Novo Nordisk A/S's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on NVO shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets reduced 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. 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. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "equal weight" rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus 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.