Sphera Funds Management LTD. Acquires 20,000 Shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)

Sphera Funds Management LTD. boosted its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) by 25.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 98,080 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 20,000 shares during the period. Novo Nordisk A/S comprises about 1.5% of Sphera Funds Management LTD.’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Sphera Funds Management LTD.’s holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $8,437,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. M. Kulyk & Associates LLC now owns 3,182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $274,000 after buying an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Center for Financial Planning Inc. boosted its stake 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 worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 4,984 shares of the company’s stock worth $429,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Exencial Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 23,094 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,987,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Indie Asset Partners LLC lifted its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Indie Asset Partners LLC now owns 3,128 shares of the company’s stock valued at $269,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the period. 11.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Novo Nordisk A/S Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NVO opened at $66.07 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $296.49 billion, a PE ratio of 20.08, a PEG ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.65. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $67.59 and a 200 day moving average of $84.91. 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 one year low of $57.00 and a one year high of $148.15.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The company reported $0.92 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.92. The company had revenue of $11.87 billion during the quarter. Novo Nordisk A/S had a net margin of 34.81% and a return on equity of 84.68%. As a group, research analysts predict that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on NVO shares. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $64.00 price objective (down from $105.00) on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They set an “underperform” rating for the company. Kepler Capital Markets raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Dbs Bank lowered shares of Novo Nordisk A/S to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Novo Nordisk A/S presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $135.00.

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.