Joseph P. Kelley Sells 3,000 Shares of Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN) Stock

On October 9th, Joseph P. Kelley, the Executive Vice President of Nordson Co. (NASDAQ:NDSN), executed a sale of 3,000 shares of the company's stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.98 each, resulting in a total transaction value of $749,940.00. After this transaction, Mr. Kelley now holds 8,659 shares of Nordson, which are currently valued at approximately $2,164,576.82. This sale represented a 0.00% decrease in his ownership stake in the company. Details of the transaction were reported in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Stock Performance and Market Overview

As of the latest trading day, Nordson's stock opened at $256.62. The company displays a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 2.36, and a quick ratio of 1.52. The stock's 50-day moving average price stands at $250.05, while the 200-day moving average price is $249.10. Over the past year, Nordson's stock has experienced a low of $208.91 and reached a high of $279.38. The current market capitalization of Nordson is $14.67 billion, with a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 31.26, a price/earnings to growth (PEG) ratio of 2.04, and a beta of 0.90, indicating moderate market volatility.

Recent Earnings Report

Nordson recently announced its quarterly earnings on August 21st, reporting earnings per share (EPS) of $2.41. This figure exceeded the analysts' consensus estimate of $2.33 by $0.08. The company also achieved a net margin of 17.75% and a return on equity of 19.80%. The reported revenue for the quarter was $661.60 million, surpassing the expected revenue of $656.49 million. In comparison to the same quarter in the previous year, revenue growth was approximately 2.0%. Analysts predict that Nordson will achieve an EPS of 9.55 for the current fiscal year.

Dividend Announcement

In addition to the stock sale, Nordson declared a quarterly dividend, which was distributed on September 10th. Shareholders of record as of August 27th received a dividend of $0.78 per share, an increase from the previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. This translates to an annualized dividend payment of $3.12, representing a yield of 1.22%. At present, Nordson's dividend payout ratio stands at 38.00%.

Institutional Investor Activity

Recently, several institutional investors have adjusted their holdings in Nordson. Bessemer Group Inc. significantly bolstered its position by 5,590.7% during the first quarter, increasing its stake to 4,894 shares valued at approximately $1,343,000 after acquiring an additional 4,808 shares. In the second quarter, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its shares by 61.6%, amassing a total of 31,146 shares worth $7,224,000, following the purchase of 11,875 additional shares. Additionally, Mediolanum International Funds Ltd made a new investment in Nordson valued at around $1,562,000 during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings by 422.3% in the same period, now owning 14,378 shares worth $3,947,000, marking a purchase of 11,625 additional shares. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC has also increased its stake by 3.3% in the first quarter, now holding 123,965 shares valued at $34,033,000. Institutional investors collectively hold 72.11% of Nordson’s shares.

Analysts’ Ratings and Predictions

In terms of market sentiment, Robert W. Baird recently raised its price target for Nordson from $272.00 to $287.00, assigning the stock an “outperform” rating. Currently, two analysts have issued a hold rating, while three others have given a buy rating. MarketBeat's data suggests that Nordson holds an average rating of “Moderate Buy” with a price target averaging at $299.00.

About Nordson Corporation

Nordson Corporation specializes in engineering, manufacturing, and marketing products and systems designed for the dispensing, application, and control of adhesives, coatings, polymers, sealants, biomaterials, and other fluids globally. The company's operations are organized into three distinct segments: Industrial Precision Solutions, Medical and Fluid Solutions, and Advanced Technology Solutions.

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