Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC Decreases Stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC cut its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 13.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 577,901 shares of the company's stock after selling 87,118 shares during the quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $56,236,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NVS has been the topic of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "underweight" rating on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Novartis presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $123.38.

Novartis Trading Down 1.8 %

NVS traded down $1.83 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $102.02. 1,803,113 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,536,973. The firm's fifty day moving average is $108.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $106.59. Novartis AG has a 1-year low of $92.35 and a 1-year high of $120.92. The company has a market cap of $208.53 billion, a PE ratio of 17.37, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

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, beating 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.69%.

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.