Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Stock Price Down 2% - Should You Sell?

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Get Free Report)'s share price traded down 2% on Friday . The company traded as low as $75.52 and last traded at $77.24. 1,934,079 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 64% from the average session volume of 5,402,288 shares. The stock had previously closed at $78.79.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on NVO. BNP Paribas upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "equal weight" rating on the stock. 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. 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. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Novo Nordisk A/S currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $145.25.

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Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Down 2.0 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $338.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The business's 50-day moving average is $83.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $100.74.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities 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 dividend of $0.7874 per share. This is a boost from Novo Nordisk A/S's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This represents a dividend yield of 1.2%. Novo Nordisk A/S's payout ratio is presently 47.72%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novo Nordisk A/S

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Center for Financial Planning Inc. lifted its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 72.4% in the fourth quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 293 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL lifted its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 2,727.3% in the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 311 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. 11.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Novo Nordisk A/S

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.