Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN) Rating Lowered to Hold at Baird R W

Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN) was downgraded by stock analysts at Baird R W from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Zacks.com reports.

NDSN has been the subject of a number of other reports. DA Davidson lowered their price target on shares of Nordson from $295.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $237.00 target price (down from $294.00) on shares of Nordson in a research note on Friday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $279.00.

Nordson Price Performance

NDSN stock opened at $226.46 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a current ratio of 2.36. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $253.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $245.82. The firm has a market cap of $12.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.92, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.90. Nordson has a 1 year low of $222.18 and a 1 year high of $279.38.

Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, December 11th. The industrial products company reported $2.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.19. The business 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 20.12% and a net margin of 17.37%. The business’s revenue was up 3.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.46 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Nordson will post 10.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Nordson

In other news, EVP Jennifer L. Mcdonough sold 225 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.27, for a total value of $59,010.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 3,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $862,081.49. This trade represents a 6.41 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Stephen Lovass sold 317 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.75, for a total value of $82,657.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 6,666 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,738,159.50. This represents a 4.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 3,629 shares of company stock worth $914,400 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.86% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nordson

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NDSN. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Nordson by 289.2% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 260,312 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $60,377,000 after buying an additional 193,421 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Nordson by 7.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,638,375 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $692,916,000 after purchasing an additional 177,282 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Nordson by 26,109.1% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 104,050 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $27,327,000 after buying an additional 103,653 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Nordson by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 2,591,323 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $601,032,000 after buying an additional 68,810 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Nordson by 71.0% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 157,582 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $41,386,000 after buying an additional 65,436 shares during the last quarter. 72.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.