Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) Shares Purchased by Sentinel Trust Co. LBA

Sentinel Trust Co. LBA lifted its position in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,366 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the quarter. Sentinel Trust Co. LBA’s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $3,816,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in NVO. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 4,031,124 shares of the company’s stock valued at $345,588,000 after purchasing an additional 40,475 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 3,074,876 shares of the company’s stock valued at $366,125,000 after buying an additional 80,070 shares during the period. DSM Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 16.7% during the 4th quarter. DSM Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,007,412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,678,000 after buying an additional 286,912 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC raised its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 3.6% during the third quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 1,362,782 shares of the company’s stock worth $162,266,000 after acquiring an additional 47,496 shares during the period. Finally, DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 75.1% in the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 1,052,712 shares of the company’s stock valued at $90,477,000 after acquiring an additional 451,641 shares during the period. 11.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Down 0.3 %

NVO stock opened at $89.25 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $84.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.17. The company has a market capitalization of $400.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.45. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 52 week low of $77.82 and a 52 week high of $148.15. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

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

Novo Nordisk A/S Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.