Hardman Johnston Global Equity Sold Novo Nordisk (NVO) due to Weak Script Trends

Soumya Eswaran

Mon, Jun 30, 2025, 9:29 AM 3 min read

Hardman Johnston Global Advisors, an investment management company, released its “Hardman Johnston Global Equity Strategy” first quarter 2025 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here.  The strategy returned 0.43%, net of fees, in the quarter compared to -1.32% for the MSCI AC World Net Index. The Portfolio experienced a solid quarter relative to the market, despite a volatile environment. Industrials and Consumer Discretionary were the top sector contributors, while Information Technology and Energy detracted.  Europe was the top contributor from a regional standpoint, while emerging markets detracted. In addition, please check the fund’s top five holdings to know its best picks in 2025.

In its first-quarter 2025 investor letter, Hardman Johnston Global Equity Strategy highlighted stocks such as Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO). Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) engages in the research and development, manufacture, and distribution of pharmaceutical products. The one-month return of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) was -5.93%, and its shares lost 52.89% of their value over the last 52 weeks. On June 27, 2025, Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) stock closed at $68.51 per share, with a market capitalization of $304.598 billion.

Hardman Johnston Global Equity Strategy stated the following regarding Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) in its Q1 2025 investor letter:

"Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) was liquidated due to weak script trends while supply ramps up for Wegovy, Novo’s semaglutide for diabetes and obesity. Additionally, with the GLP-1 market under pressure, we consolidated our position into Eli Lilly, which has a better near-term outlook as they await trial data for their oral GLP-1."

An elderly couple receiving insulin from a pharmacist, representing healthcare company's successful pharmaceutical products.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) is not on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 60 hedge fund portfolios held Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) at the end of the first quarter, which was 64 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE: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 as promising as NVIDIA but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the undervalued AI stock set for massive gains.

In another article, we covered Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) and shared the list of stocks that will make you rich in 10 years. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q1 2025 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors. While we acknowledge the potential of NVO as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you’re looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.