Kennedy Capital Management LLC Takes Position in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)

Kennedy Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 23,514 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,023,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GQG Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 74.7% during the 4th quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 12,994,533 shares of the company's stock worth $1,117,790,000 after buying an additional 5,556,460 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S in the fourth quarter worth $404,910,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P grew its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 34.2% in the 4th quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 11,571,686 shares of the company's stock valued at $995,397,000 after purchasing an additional 2,947,771 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 59.8% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,283,317 shares of the company's stock worth $368,451,000 after purchasing an additional 1,602,549 shares during the period. Finally, Sustainable Growth Advisers LP boosted its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 23.6% in the 4th quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP now owns 5,340,803 shares of the company's stock worth $459,416,000 after buying an additional 1,021,498 shares during 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 down $4.37 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $58.51. 19,208,812 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,903,071. The company's fifty day moving average is $76.55 and its 200-day moving average is $92.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.74. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 52 week low of $57.36 and a 52 week high of $148.15. The firm has a market cap of $262.57 billion, a PE ratio of 17.75, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.61.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.03. Novo Nordisk A/S had a return on equity of 84.68% and a net margin of 34.81%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast 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 was paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.7874 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. 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 (DPR) is 49.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on NVO. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $64.00 price objective (down previously from $105.00) on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Thursday. Kepler Capital Markets raised Novo Nordisk A/S from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered Novo Nordisk A/S from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "equal weight" rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $135.00.

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.