Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Trading 0.6% Higher - Here's Why

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Get Free Report)'s share price was up 0.6% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $90.22 and last traded at $89.76. Approximately 2,487,151 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 73% from the average daily volume of 9,058,320 shares. The stock had previously closed at $89.22.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on NVO. Stifel Nicolaus lowered Novo Nordisk A/S from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. UBS Group raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, December 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $145.25.

Novo Nordisk A/S Trading Down 1.4 %

The company has a market cap of $401.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.13, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.45. The firm's 50 day moving average is $84.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $106.52. 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 issued its quarterly 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%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 EPS for the current year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be given a $0.7874 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a dividend 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 47.72%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novo Nordisk A/S

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 3,074,876 shares of the company's stock valued at $366,125,000 after purchasing an additional 80,070 shares during the period. Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 45.3% in the fourth quarter. Norman Fields Gottscho Capital Management LLC now owns 63,732 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,482,000 after buying an additional 19,870 shares during the period. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 358.8% during the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 38,898 shares of the company's stock worth $3,346,000 after buying an additional 30,420 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the 4th quarter worth approximately $86,000. Finally, Talbot Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,066,000. 11.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.