Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Sold by Broderick Brian C

Broderick Brian C trimmed its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 32.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,073 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,960 shares during the quarter. Broderick Brian C's holdings in Novartis were worth $786,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NVS. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Novartis by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC now owns 4,123 shares of the company's stock worth $401,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Novartis by 519.1% during the fourth quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 4,532 shares of the company's stock worth $441,000 after purchasing an additional 3,800 shares in the last quarter. Pitcairn Co. grew its stake in shares of Novartis by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 10,161 shares of the company's stock valued at $989,000 after buying an additional 866 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors raised its holdings in shares of Novartis by 9.7% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 36,929 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,594,000 after buying an additional 3,258 shares during the period. Finally, Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in Novartis by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 23,813 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,317,000 after acquiring an additional 1,259 shares during the period. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on NVS. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "underweight" rating for the company. StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $123.38.

Novartis Stock Performance

NVS traded down $3.05 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $98.91. The stock had a trading volume of 1,610,419 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,527,493. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.35 and a twelve month high of $120.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $202.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.86, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company's 50-day moving average price is $108.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $106.70.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's dividend payout ratio is currently 42.69%.

Novartis Profile

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.