Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) Shares Sold by Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.

Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) by 8.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,376 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 592 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Nordson were worth $1,334,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. New York Life Investment Management LLC raised its stake 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 during the period. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in Nordson by 26.1% in the 4th 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. Klein Pavlis & Peasley Financial Inc. boosted its position in 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 valued at $692,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Nordson by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 4,223 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $884,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Nordson by 4.9% during the third quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,327 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $349,000 after acquiring an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. 72.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Nordson Price Performance

NDSN opened at $203.86 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 2.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $213.54 and its 200 day moving average price is $233.70. Nordson Co. has a fifty-two week low of $196.83 and a fifty-two week high of $279.38. The firm has a market cap of $11.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.92.

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

Nordson Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.78 per share. This represents a $3.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. Nordson’s payout ratio is 39.69%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on NDSN shares. Robert W. Baird restated a “neutral” rating and set a $237.00 price objective (down previously from $294.00) on shares of Nordson in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Loop Capital upgraded shares of Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $255.00 to $280.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. 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. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their price target 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. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $256.20.

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.