Fayez Sarofim & Co lessened its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 14.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,586 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,654 shares during the period. Fayez Sarofim & Co's holdings in Novartis were worth $3,366,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Novartis by 35.6% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 423,142 shares of the company's stock worth $41,176,000 after purchasing an additional 111,066 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Novartis by 26.9% during the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 89,074 shares of the company's stock worth $8,668,000 after purchasing an additional 18,894 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its position in Novartis by 20.1% during the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company's stock worth $3,001,000 after purchasing an additional 5,164 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $239,000. Finally, Arvest Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,674,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company's stock.
Novartis Price Performance
NVS stock traded up $1.06 on Friday, reaching $112.23. The company had a trading volume of 2,213,607 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,544,101. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $96.06 and a 1 year high of $120.92. 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 fifty day moving average is $109.68 and its 200 day moving average is $106.10. The company has a market cap of $237.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.09, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56.
Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 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%. On average, research analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.
Novartis Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 44.05%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of research firms recently weighed in on NVS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "underweight" rating on the stock. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. BNP Paribas upgraded Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $123.38.
View Our Latest Report on Novartis
About Novartis
(
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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