The stock is rebounding after a rough July that saw $70 billion wiped off its market value and a leadership change, with new CEO Maziar Mike Doustdar pushing for sharper execution.
Novo Nordisk shares climbed in premarket trading Monday after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval for Wegovy to treat metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a progressive liver disease that affects about 5% of U.S. adults.
The stock rose over 3% to $53.41 in premarket trade on Monday, extending Friday’s 2.9% gain.
The FDA’s decision was based on interim data from the Essence trial. At week 72, 36.8% of Wegovy patients showed improved liver fibrosis with no worsening of steatohepatitis compared with 22.4% on placebo.
Resolution of steatohepatitis without worsening fibrosis was achieved in 62.9% of Wegovy patients versus 34.3% on placebo.
The stock’s rebound comes after a brutal July, when investors wiped $70 billion off Novo’s market value after it cut its 2025 sales outlook and named Maziar Mike Doustdar, a company veteran who has led operations in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and international markets, as its new chief executive, according to a Reuters report.
At its peak in June 2024, Novo was worth about $615 billion, but its shares have since slumped on fears it is losing ground in the obesity drug race, facing both Eli Lilly’s rising challenge and compounded copycats in the U.S.
Eli Lilly has published encouraging mid-stage data for tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Mounjaro and Zepbound, in the same condition.
Doustdar, who took charge earlier this month, told investors the company must “increase the sense of urgency and execute differently,” signaling a sharper focus as it tries to stabilize growth.
Novo has also filed for approval in Europe and Japan, with longer-term data from the Essence trial expected in 2029.
Alongside the FDA decision, Novo is paying an interim dividend of 3.75 Danish krone per share for 2025, about 7% higher than last year’s payout. The ADRs go ex-dividend on Monday, with the same day serving as the record date. Payment is scheduled for Tuesday for A and B shares and Aug. 26 for ADR holders.
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for Novo Nordisk was ‘extremely bullish’ amid ‘extremely high’ message volume.
One user pointed out that many investors seemed to overlook Novo Nordisk’s dividend payout date. Despite this, the stock is up around 1–2% making the performance look strong.
Another user said they were adding to positions on the dip, with one retail trader mentioning they picked up more shares under $53 in the morning.
Novo Nordisk’s stock has declined 38.3% so far in 2025.
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