V Square Quantitative Management LLC Reduces Stock Position in Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN)

V Square Quantitative Management LLC cut its stake in Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) by 7.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 978 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 81 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC’s holdings in Nordson were worth $205,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NDSN. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Nordson by 130.0% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 161 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position 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 valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its position in shares of Nordson by 695.0% in the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 318 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of Nordson by 18.8% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 272 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its position in shares of Nordson by 84.3% in the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 363 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. 72.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Nordson Stock Performance

Nordson stock opened at $216.42 on Tuesday. Nordson Co. has a 12-month low of $196.83 and a 12-month high of $279.38. The company has a market capitalization of $12.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 2.41 and a quick ratio of 1.51. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $215.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $239.43.

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

Nordson Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.44%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 2nd. Nordson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Stephen Lovass sold 1,299 shares of Nordson stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $206.79, for a total value of $268,620.21. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 7,347 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,519,286.13. The trade was a 15.02 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last three months, insiders sold 1,703 shares of company stock valued at $374,069. Company insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Nordson 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.