Russell Investments Group Ltd. Increases Stock Holdings in Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 67,635 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,038 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.12% of Nordson worth $14,152,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. New York Life Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Nordson by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 7,314 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,530,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of Nordson by 26.1% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 251 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Nordson by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. now owns 3,308 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $692,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Nordson by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,223 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $884,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Nordson by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,493 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $312,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. 72.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Nordson Price Performance

NASDAQ NDSN opened at $181.04 on Friday. Nordson Co. has a one year low of $165.03 and a one year high of $279.38. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $205.37 and a 200 day moving average of $227.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 2.53. The company has a market capitalization of $10.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.03, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.96.

Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $615.42 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $639.40 million. Nordson had a return on equity of 19.28% and a net margin of 16.93%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Nordson Co. will post 10.2 EPS for the current year.

Nordson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.72%. Nordson’s payout ratio is 39.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on NDSN shares. Baird R W cut shares of Nordson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. KeyCorp dropped their target price on Nordson from $260.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. DA Davidson reduced their price target on Nordson from $295.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 13th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Loop Capital upgraded shares of Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $255.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Nordson has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $250.20.

About Nordson

Nordson Corporation engineers, manufactures, and markets products and systems to dispense, apply, and control adhesives, coatings, polymers, sealants, biomaterials, and other fluids worldwide. It operates through three segments: Industrial Precision Solutions; Medical and Fluid Solutions; and Advanced Technology Solutions.