1 Reason Why I'd Hold This Weight‑Loss Drug Leader Through Any Market Crash

Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO) and Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) are locked in a battle around GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. It is a huge potential market, and the new class of drugs is very important. However, Novo Nordisk's story is much bigger than weight loss. Here's why it could be a long-term hold no matter what happens in the market, or with GLP-1 drugs.

Novo Nordisk made insulin before GLP-1 drugs

Novo Nordisk is one of the world's largest producers of insulin, a vital medication for those with diabetes. Generally speaking, when you take insulin, you need it regularly. As such, Novo Nordisk has a very attractive recurring revenue stream. That's an important foundation for the business.

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One area where this pharmaceutical company's foundation shows up is in its dividend payout ratio. Despite falling behind Eli Lilly in the GLP-1 weight-loss drug space, Novo Nordisk's trailing 12-month payout ratio is a very comfortable 40%. In fact, it has never risen above 50%, even during the deep 2007 to 2009 recession.

Meanwhile, the dividend yield is well above the market at 3.9%. For reference, the average pharmaceutical stock has a yield of 1.7%. So the high yield here is well supported, and that's largely thanks to the company's strong diabetes business.

GLP-1 drugs are important, too

That said, investors shouldn't ignore that Novo Nordisk is also a GLP-1 drug stock. Eli Lilly has taken the lead, but Novo Nordisk remains an important player in the new drug niche. Notably, it recently launched the first GLP-1 pill, which should help it regain market share from Eli Lilly, at least in the short term. People prefer pills over shots, for obvious reasons.

The takeaway from Novo Nordisk's development of a GLP-1 pill is that it remains an innovative drug maker. The excitement around weight-loss drugs is so high that investors may be overlooking the company's long-term opportunities and fundamental business strengths. All Wall Street is seeing is the fact that Eli Lilly's GLP-1 drugs are performing better in the market right now.

Novo Nordisk's strong core business and ongoing innovation in a newly developing drug niche suggest this financially strong dividend stock is an attractive holding, no matter what the market is doing. Indeed, consumers are still going to need insulin during a bear market and people will probably still be looking to lose weight, too.

Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Novo Nordisk. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.