Freedom Investment Management Inc. Sells 879 Shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)

Freedom Investment Management Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 17,398 shares of the company’s stock after selling 879 shares during the quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $1,497,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of NVO. Center for Financial Planning Inc. raised its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 72.4% during the fourth quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. now owns 293 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL increased its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 2,727.3% during the 4th quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 311 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Albion Financial Group UT raised its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 121.4% during the 4th quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 507 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 82.1% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the fourth quarter valued at $46,000. 11.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novo Nordisk A/S Trading Down 7.8 %

Shares of NYSE:NVO opened at $57.99 on Friday. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 12-month low of $57.28 and a 12-month high of $148.15. The business has a 50 day moving average of $75.52 and a 200-day moving average of $91.71. 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 stock has a market cap of $260.23 billion, a PE ratio of 17.63, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.61.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) 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 forecast that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $0.7874 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. This is an increase from Novo Nordisk A/S’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. This represents a dividend yield of 1.2%. Novo Nordisk A/S’s dividend payout ratio is 49.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on NVO shares. Stifel Nicolaus cut shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $64.00 price target (down previously from $105.00) on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research report on Thursday. Kepler Capital Markets raised Novo Nordisk A/S from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. Finally, UBS Group raised Novo Nordisk A/S from a “sell” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $135.00.

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.