Marietta Investment Partners LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)

Marietta Investment Partners LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Free Report) by 11.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 145,698 shares of the company's stock after selling 19,595 shares during the period. Novo Nordisk A/S accounts for approximately 2.8% of Marietta Investment Partners LLC's holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Marietta Investment Partners LLC's holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $12,533,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Folketrygdfondet boosted its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Folketrygdfondet now owns 8,903,938 shares of the company's stock valued at $765,917,000 after purchasing an additional 40,313 shares during the period. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP increased its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 23.6% during the 4th quarter. Sustainable Growth Advisers LP now owns 5,340,803 shares of the company's stock valued at $459,416,000 after buying an additional 1,021,498 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the 4th quarter worth about $404,910,000. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 4,031,124 shares of the company's stock valued at $345,588,000 after acquiring an additional 40,475 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi lifted its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 26.4% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 3,311,456 shares of the company's stock valued at $283,615,000 after buying an additional 692,567 shares during the period. 11.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Novo Nordisk A/S Price Performance

NYSE NVO traded down $1.86 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $71.74. 7,578,994 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,461,055. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 1-year low of $71.62 and a 1-year high of $148.15. 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's 50 day moving average price is $82.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $99.75. The company has a market cap of $321.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.81, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.42.

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, beating 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%. As a group, analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Investors 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 is a positive change from Novo Nordisk A/S's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. This represents a yield of 1.2%. Novo Nordisk A/S's dividend payout ratio is 47.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. BMO Capital Markets dropped 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.