Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Sold by Brandes Investment Partners LP

Brandes Investment Partners LP trimmed its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 209,770 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,989 shares during the quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP's holdings in Novartis were worth $20,413,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NVS. Centaurus Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Novartis by 1.7% during the third quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 5,728 shares of the company's stock worth $659,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its holdings in Novartis by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 16,682 shares of the company's stock worth $1,623,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Novartis by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,161 shares of the company's stock worth $405,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Angeles Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Novartis by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,249 shares of the company's stock worth $316,000 after buying an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Novartis Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NVS traded down $0.71 on Wednesday, hitting $111.51. 2,174,694 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,439,731. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $227.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The stock's 50 day moving average is $105.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.48. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $92.35 and a 1 year high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "underweight" rating on the stock. HSBC downgraded shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "reduce" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Novartis currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $123.38.

About Novartis

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.