Nixon Peabody Trust Co. Sells 79,269 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Nixon Peabody Trust Co. reduced its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 65.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 42,501 shares of the company's stock after selling 79,269 shares during the period. Nixon Peabody Trust Co.'s holdings in Novartis were worth $4,136,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Centaurus Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Novartis by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 5,728 shares of the company's stock valued at $659,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Allen Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Novartis by 1.8% during the third quarter. Allen Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,788 shares of the company's stock valued at $666,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC grew its position in Novartis by 1.1% during the third quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 9,494 shares of the company's stock worth $1,092,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Novartis by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 12,884 shares of the company's stock worth $1,254,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC raised its holdings in shares of Novartis by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 16,682 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,623,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NVS stock traded up $0.43 on Wednesday, hitting $111.85. 1,770,048 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,074,565. The stock has a market capitalization of $228.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $103.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.96. Novartis AG has a one year low of $92.35 and a one 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.

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 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NVS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "underweight" rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Erste Group Bank restated a "hold" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $123.38.

Novartis Company 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.