Osterweis Capital Management Inc. Acquires New Shares in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)

Osterweis Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 227,619 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,580,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Passumpsic Savings Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Passumpsic Savings Bank now owns 21,448 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,554,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC raised its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 69.8% during the third quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 33,929 shares of the company's stock worth $4,040,000 after acquiring an additional 13,949 shares during the period. Tudor Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the 3rd quarter worth about $311,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 2.3% in the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 13,447 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,601,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 36.9% during the 3rd quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,925 shares of the company's stock worth $1,655,000 after purchasing an additional 3,750 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 11.54% of the company's stock.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Performance

NYSE NVO traded down $4.89 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $57.99. 32,192,935 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,975,692. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 12-month low of $57.28 and a 12-month high of $148.15. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $75.52 and a 200 day moving average of $91.71. The company has a market cap 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 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 earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) 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 research 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 business also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Stockholders 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 (DPR) is currently 49.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on NVO shares. Kepler Capital Markets upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a "market perform" rating and issued a $64.00 target price (down previously from $105.00) on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Thursday. 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. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "equal weight" rating for the company. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $135.00.

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.