Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Buys 2,638 Shares of Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its position in Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) by 27.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,220 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,638 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Nordson were worth $2,557,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NDSN. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Nordson by 73.7% in the 4th quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 271 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its holdings in shares of Nordson by 695.0% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 318 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Nordson in the third quarter worth $109,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Nordson during the fourth quarter valued at $179,000. 72.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Nordson Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of Nordson stock opened at $206.55 on Thursday. Nordson Co. has a 1-year low of $196.83 and a 1-year high of $279.38. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $213.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $232.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 2.53 and a quick ratio of 1.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.76 billion, a PE ratio of 26.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.92.

Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The industrial products company reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.08 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $615.42 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $639.40 million. Nordson had a net margin of 16.93% and a return on equity of 19.28%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Nordson Co. will post 10.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Nordson Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.51%. Nordson’s payout ratio is currently 39.69%.

Insider Transactions at Nordson

In other Nordson news, EVP Stephen Lovass sold 1,299 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.79, for a total value of $268,620.21. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 7,347 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,519,286.13. This represents a 15.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NDSN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Loop Capital raised Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $255.00 to $280.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 22nd. DA Davidson lowered their price objective 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. BNP Paribas downgraded shares of Nordson from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $219.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Baird R W cut Nordson from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $256.20.

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.