Berkeley Capital Partners LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 60.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,408 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,608 shares during the quarter. Berkeley Capital Partners LLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $234,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Novartis by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 5,728 shares of the company's stock worth $659,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Novartis by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 12,884 shares of the company's stock worth $1,254,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its holdings in shares of Novartis by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 16,682 shares of the company's stock worth $1,623,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Meridian Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,161 shares of the company's stock valued at $405,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Angeles Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Novartis by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,249 shares of the company's stock worth $316,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company's stock.
Novartis Stock Performance
NVS stock traded down $0.78 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $110.31. The company had a trading volume of 2,577,832 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,474,392. The firm has a market capitalization of $225.47 billion, a PE ratio of 18.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $106.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $107.29. Novartis AG has a fifty-two week low of $92.35 and a fifty-two week high of $120.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.
Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. Analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.
Novartis Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.69%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of brokerages have weighed in on NVS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. HSBC cut shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "reduce" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "underweight" rating for the company. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $123.38.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Novartis
Novartis Company Profile
(
Free Report)
Novartis AG engages in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. The company offers prescription medicines for patients and physicians. It focuses on therapeutic areas, such as cardiovascular, renal and metabolic, immunology, neuroscience, and oncology, as well as ophthalmology and hematology.
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