Natixis Advisors LLC Reduces Stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Natixis Advisors LLC lowered its position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 7.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 872,465 shares of the company's stock after selling 66,379 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $84,899,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Novartis in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Human Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new stake in Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at about $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NVS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. HSBC lowered shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "reduce" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "underweight" rating on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $123.38.

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Novartis Price Performance

NVS stock traded up $1.79 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $113.35. The company had a trading volume of 5,885,645 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,214,786. The company has a market capitalization of $231.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $106.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $107.50. 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 AG has a 12-month low of $92.35 and a 12-month high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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%.

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.