We recently compiled a list of the 20 Most Profitable Stocks of the Last 20 Years. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) stands against the other profitable stocks.
The stock market has a long history of generating wealth for investors. While past performance doesn’t guarantee future results, studying successful companies can provide valuable insights. By understanding the factors that drive these companies’ growth, we can potentially make better investment decisions in the future. It’s important to remember that investing involves risk, and conducting thorough research is crucial before making any investment decisions.
Investors frequently overlook revenue in favor of profitability when evaluating stocks. Profit is what’s left over after all costs are paid. Revenue is the total amount of goods and services sold. Because it is essential to determine if a business is a growth stock or a value one, profitability is important. To learn more about growth stocks, see 12 Best Growth Stocks to Buy and Hold in 2024. You can also discover some undervalued value stocks by reading 11 Oversold Value Stocks To Buy Now.
The U.S. stock market has seen several major events since 2000, including the dot-com boom and fall, the 2008 financial crisis, a tech boom with trillion-dollar values, and the 2020 pandemic crisis. The S&P’s broader market index produced double-digit yearly returns thirteen times between 2003 and 2023. This strong performance can be largely attributed to the phenomenal returns generated by technology stocks, which significantly boosted the overall return of the large-cap market.
According to a recent estimate, the aggregate market value of the top seven S&P 500 corporations is almost double that of the Japanese market. The head of topical research and global economics, Jim Reid, cautions that this is the most concentrated the US market has ever been.
As interest in growth stocks increases due to the hype surrounding AI and the prospect of rate cuts, these companies’ fortunes are expected to soar. To satisfy market demand, businesses are making significant investments in AI. AI’s impact on altering work patterns was highlighted by Satya Nadella du. According to them,:
“A growing body of evidence makes clear the role AI will play in transforming work. Our own research, as well as external studies, show as much as 70% improvement in productivity, using generative AI for specific work tasks.”
Our Methodology
To identify the most profitable stocks, we looked at the 20-year annualized returns of publicly traded companies in the US market from 2004 to 2024 and selected and ranked those with the highest 20-year annualized returns.
An elderly couple receiving insulin from a pharmacist, representing healthcare company’s successful pharmaceutical products.
Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)
20-Year Annualized Return: 24.15%
Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) is a Danish multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Bagsværd, Denmark. The company is a global leader in the diabetes market and a significant player in hemophilia care, growth hormone therapy, and hormone replacement therapy.
Novo’s operating profit increased by 27% in Danish kroner and 30% at constant exchange rates (CER) to DKK 31.8 billion in Q1 2024. Their sales in North America surged by 34% in the Danish kroner, which was bolstered by adjustments in gross-to-net sales from previous years. Within Diabetes and Obesity care, sales rose by 25% in Danish kroner to DKK 61.0 billion (27% at CER), driven by a 30% growth in GLP-1 diabetes treatments and a significant 41% increase in Obesity care.
Novo Nordisk achieved notable milestones with the successful completion of the FLOW kidney outcomes trial for semaglutide 1.0 mg, US approval of Wegovy for cardiovascular risk reduction in overweight or obese individuals with cardiovascular disease, and EU recommendation for Awiqli, a once-weekly insulin icodec.
In Q1 2024, there were 60 hedge fund holders in the company, up from 58 in the previous quarter. Fisher Asset Management held the largest position in the company with 13,724,718 shares worth $1,762,253,959.
The average analyst rating for Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) stock is “Strong Buy”. Analysts have provided 12-month price forecasts with an average target of $140.5, ranging from a low estimate of $115 to a high estimate of $163. This implies an average upside potential of approximately 1.17% from the current stock price of $138.87.
Overall NVO ranks 4th on our list of the most profitable stocks of the last 20 years. You can visit 20 Most Profitable Stocks of the Last 20 Years to see the other profitable stocks that are on hedge funds’ radar. While we acknowledge the potential of NVO as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than NVO but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
READ NEXT: Analyst Sees a New $25 Billion “Opportunity” for NVIDIA and Jim Cramer is Recommending These 10 Stocks in June.
Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.