Ozempic maker Novo rises after first stock split in a decade

(Bloomberg) — Novo Nordisk A/S shares rose barely on Wednesday within the first buying and selling session following a two-for-one cut up aimed toward rising the liquidity of the Danish drugmaker’s hovering inventory.

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Novo gained 0.4% to about 684 Danish kroner after the separation, which the maker of weight-loss medication Ozempic and Wegovy has mentioned will carry worth ranges for its Copenhagen-listed shares and American Depositary Receipts “consistent with market observe.”

Novo shares have risen virtually sevenfold because the firm final cut up its inventory in January 2014, hitting an intraday peak of greater than 1,380 Danish kroner ($198) on the day earlier than the separation took impact.

Beneficial properties have been pushed by the corporate’s management within the world marketplace for weight problems medication, which JPMorgan Chase & Co. analyst Richard Vosser tasks to be price $71 billion inside a decade. Novo turned Europe’s most precious agency final month after its market capitalization soared past $400 billion and nearly all of analysts see the energy persevering with.

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“This can be a as soon as in a technology sort of story in that this isn’t only a large market, however these medication are one thing which have the potential to alter society in significant methods,” mentioned Emily Subject, an analyst at Barclays Plc with an obese ranking on the inventory.

Buyers are optimistic too. “They’re on a completely big market which is rising greater than twice as quick because the business,” mentioned Nicolas Domont, a fund supervisor at Optigestion who not too long ago added to his stake. There’s “just a few issues in Europe which can be interesting and amongst them is Novo Nordisk.”

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In line with Domont, the inventory is “costly however not extreme,” buying and selling at about 35 instances ahead earnings.

Whereas that a number of is almost double that of the Stoxx 600 Well being Care subindex, it’s lower than that of Novo’s major obesity-drug rival Eli Lilly & Co. Lilly shares commerce at about 50 instances ahead earnings, boosted not solely by its potential in weight-loss medication but additionally a profitable final-stage trial of its experimental remedy for Alzheimer’s illness, one other scorching space of the prescribed drugs sector.

Not everyone seems to be constructive on the outlook. In line with UBS Group AG analyst Michael Leuchten, the weight problems income alternative received’t be as large as Novo’s present valuation implies.

“It’s a race-to-arms and might you bounce to the conclusion that Novo can win? I don’t suppose so,” Leuchten mentioned.

Thomas Brenier, head of fairness administration and analysis at Lazard Freres Gestions mentioned that when it comes to valuation, “it’s really beginning to be very, very tense.”

“Plainly we could possibly be at a second which is just a little extreme,” he mentioned.

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