Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Stock Price Down 7.1% - What's Next?

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Get Free Report)'s share price dropped 7.1% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $57.28 and last traded at $58.41. Approximately 13,599,813 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 131% from the average daily volume of 5,882,889 shares. The stock had previously closed at $62.88.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on NVO. UBS Group upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a "sell" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. StockNews.com downgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $64.00 target price (down from $105.00) on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus cut Novo Nordisk A/S from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Tuesday. They set an "underperform" rating on the stock. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $135.00.

Novo Nordisk A/S Trading Down 7.8 %

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 firm has a market capitalization of $260.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.61. The firm's 50 day moving average is $75.52 and its 200 day moving average is $91.71.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 forecast that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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%. This is a boost from Novo Nordisk A/S's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. Novo Nordisk A/S's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 49.54%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novo Nordisk A/S

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Center for Financial Planning Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL lifted its stake in 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 worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA purchased a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 11.54% of the company's stock.

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.