Stephens Inc. AR Increases Stock Holdings in Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN)

Stephens Inc. AR increased its holdings in Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) by 25.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,937 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 395 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Nordson were worth $405,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in shares of Nordson by 1.5% in the third quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,863 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $752,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Nordson by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 272 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Nordson by 3.5% during the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,447 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $380,000 after buying an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in shares of Nordson by 26.1% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 251 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OLD National Bancorp IN lifted its position in shares of Nordson by 2.6% in the third quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 2,060 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $541,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. 72.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Nordson Trading Down 0.4 %

NDSN opened at $216.42 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $216.37 and its 200-day moving average is $239.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.95. Nordson Co. has a 52-week low of $196.83 and a 52-week high of $279.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 2.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 11th. The industrial products company reported $2.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $744.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $736.83 million. Nordson had a return on equity of 19.87% and a net margin of 17.37%. Nordson’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.46 EPS. Analysts expect that Nordson Co. will post 10.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Nordson Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 2nd. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.44%. Nordson’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.47%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on NDSN. Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Baird R W lowered shares of Nordson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Loop Capital upgraded shares of Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $237.00 price target (down previously from $294.00) on shares of Nordson in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, DA Davidson dropped their target price on Nordson from $295.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Nordson currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $279.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at Nordson

In other Nordson news, EVP Stephen Lovass sold 317 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.75, for a total value of $82,657.75. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 6,666 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,738,159.50. The trade was a 4.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 1,703 shares of company stock valued at $374,069 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Nordson Company Profile

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.