NFJ Investment Group LLC Buys 4,779 Shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)

NFJ Investment Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Free Report) by 89.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,143 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,779 shares during the quarter. NFJ Investment Group LLC's holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $873,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Center for Financial Planning Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 72.4% in the 4th quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 293 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Albion Financial Group UT raised its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 121.4% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 507 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 82.1% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 539 shares of the company's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the fourth quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. 11.54% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Performance

Shares of NVO stock traded up $1.61 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $59.94. 6,099,211 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,905,257. The firm has a market capitalization of $268.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.23, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.61. 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 $57.00 and a 52 week high of $148.15. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $75.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $90.98.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Get Free Report) last posted 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 return on equity of 84.68% and a net margin of 34.81%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a $0.7874 dividend. The ex-dividend date was 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 payout ratio is currently 49.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on NVO. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "equal weight" rating for the company. UBS Group raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com cut shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Novo Nordisk A/S from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets raised Novo Nordisk A/S from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.