Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Shares Purchased by Renaissance Technologies LLC

Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Free Report) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,312,996 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 123,681 shares during the period. Novo Nordisk A/S accounts for approximately 1.1% of Renaissance Technologies LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned about 0.19% of Novo Nordisk A/S worth $715,084,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Employees Retirement System of Texas increased its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 9.9% in the 4th quarter. Employees Retirement System of Texas now owns 72,964 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,276,000 after acquiring an additional 6,560 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 53.7% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,722,937 shares of the company's stock valued at $148,207,000 after purchasing an additional 601,845 shares during the period. Trek Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the fourth quarter worth approximately $212,000. Garrison Point Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the fourth quarter worth $3,120,000. Finally, Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp increased its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp now owns 29,113 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,503,000 after buying an additional 957 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 11.54% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NVO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Kepler Capital Markets raised Novo Nordisk A/S from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "equal weight" rating on the stock. StockNews.com raised Novo Nordisk A/S from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised Novo Nordisk A/S from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Novo Nordisk A/S has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $145.25.

Novo Nordisk A/S Price Performance

Shares of NVO traded up $3.55 on Friday, reaching $64.76. The stock had a trading volume of 11,381,677 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,803,135. Novo Nordisk A/S has a twelve month low of $59.32 and a twelve month high of $148.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $290.59 billion, a PE ratio of 19.68, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.61. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $77.87 and a 200 day moving average of $93.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share 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%. 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 firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a $0.7874 dividend. 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 is 49.54%.

Novo Nordisk A/S Company 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.