Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Shares Up 1.5% - Still a Buy?

Shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Get Free Report) rose 1.5% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $65.28 and last traded at $63.51. Approximately 5,976,557 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 6% from the average daily volume of 5,649,010 shares. The stock had previously closed at $62.55.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on NVO. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "equal weight" rating for the company. 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. Stifel Nicolaus downgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $145.25.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Up 5.6 %

The company has a market capitalization of $290.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.57, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The company has a 50 day moving average of $78.23 and a 200-day moving average of $93.98.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 analysts anticipate that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 EPS for the current year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.7874 per share. This is an increase from Novo Nordisk A/S's previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. This represents a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. Novo Nordisk A/S's payout ratio is presently 49.54%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novo Nordisk A/S

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. 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 worth $25,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. 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 period. Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA purchased a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. 11.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.