Securian Asset Management Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN)

Securian Asset Management Inc. lessened its position in shares of Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) by 9.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,417 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 374 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Nordson were worth $903,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ieq Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Nordson by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $308,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Quent Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Nordson by 64.9% in the fourth quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 122 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA grew its stake in shares of Nordson by 3.0% in the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 1,766 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $394,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in shares of Nordson by 5.5% in the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 992 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $221,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Nordson by 5.4% in the third quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,043 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $233,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.11% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on NDSN shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Nordson from $290.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Nordson from $290.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Nordson in a research note on Monday, February 26th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Nordson from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Nordson presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $278.00.

Nordson Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:NDSN opened at $243.14 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $267.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $256.63. Nordson Co. has a one year low of $208.90 and a one year high of $279.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a current ratio of 2.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.98, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.00.

Nordson (NASDAQ:NDSN) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 20th. The industrial products company reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.30 by $0.04. Nordson had a net margin of 18.23% and a return on equity of 20.50%. The business had revenue of $650.64 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $661.06 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.26 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Nordson Co. will post 10.2 EPS for the current year.

Nordson Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.68 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 20th. This represents a $2.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.12%. Nordson’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.42%.

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.