Mill Capital Management LLC Trims Stock Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Mill Capital Management LLC lessened its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 33.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,851 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,483 shares during the period. Mill Capital Management LLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $472,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth about $88,339,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Novartis by 17.4% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,002,959 shares of the company's stock valued at $194,908,000 after buying an additional 296,950 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Novartis by 128.1% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 528,682 shares of the company's stock valued at $51,554,000 after buying an additional 296,890 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,063,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter worth $225,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on NVS. StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. HSBC lowered Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "reduce" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "underweight" rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $123.38.

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Novartis Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of Novartis stock traded up $1.29 on Friday, reaching $112.69. The company had a trading volume of 2,537,924 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,493,163. The firm has a market cap of $230.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $107.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $107.26. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's payout ratio is currently 42.69%.

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.