Prudential Financial Inc. Trims Holdings in Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN)

Prudential Financial Inc. decreased its position in shares of Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN - Free Report) by 20.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 28,753 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 7,465 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. owned about 0.05% of Nordson worth $6,016,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NDSN. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in Nordson by 26.1% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 251 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Nordson by 73.7% in the fourth quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 271 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its holdings in shares of Nordson by 695.0% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 318 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new stake in shares of Nordson in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $98,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in Nordson in the 3rd quarter valued at $109,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.11% of the company's stock.

Nordson Trading Down 5.2 %

NDSN traded down $9.66 during trading on Friday, reaching $176.73. 707,519 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 284,054. The stock's 50-day moving average is $210.54 and its 200 day moving average is $230.39. Nordson Co. has a 12 month low of $173.24 and a 12 month high of $279.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.06 billion, a PE ratio of 22.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 2.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

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Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $615.42 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $639.40 million. Nordson had a net margin of 16.93% and a return on equity of 19.28%. Equities analysts anticipate that Nordson Co. will post 10.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Nordson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. Nordson's payout ratio is 39.69%.

Insider Transactions at Nordson

In related news, EVP Stephen Lovass sold 1,299 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.79, for a total transaction of $268,620.21. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 7,347 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,519,286.13. The trade was a 15.02 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Baird R W cut Nordson from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. BNP Paribas lowered shares of Nordson from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $219.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, February 24th. Loop Capital upgraded shares of Nordson from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Robert W. Baird reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $237.00 target price (down previously from $294.00) on shares of Nordson in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Nordson from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $256.20.

About Nordson

Nordson Corporation engineers, manufactures, and markets products and systems to dispense, apply, and control adhesives, coatings, polymers, sealants, biomaterials, and other fluids worldwide. It operates through three segments: Industrial Precision Solutions; Medical and Fluid Solutions; and Advanced Technology Solutions.