IFP Advisors Inc Acquires 594 Shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)

IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,558 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 594 shares during the quarter. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $994,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in NVO. Center for Financial Planning Inc. raised its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 72.4% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the third quarter worth $42,000. Albion Financial Group UT raised its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 121.4% in the fourth quarter. Albion Financial Group UT now owns 507 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 82.1% during the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 539 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. 11.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Performance

NYSE NVO opened at $89.25 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $84.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $107.17. The stock has a market cap of $400.51 billion, a PE ratio of 27.13, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.74. Novo Nordisk A/S has a fifty-two week low of $77.82 and a fifty-two week high of $148.15.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st will be issued a $0.7874 dividend. This represents a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from Novo Nordisk A/S’s previous semi-annual dividend of $0.51. Novo Nordisk A/S’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 47.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on NVO. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from $156.00 to $105.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “equal weight” rating for the company. Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $160.00 price target on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised Novo Nordisk A/S to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $145.25.

Novo Nordisk A/S 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.