Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Sold by Loomis Sayles & Co. L P

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P reduced its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,576,961 shares of the company's stock after selling 192,677 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P owned approximately 0.27% of Novartis worth $542,694,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of NVS. Human Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Novartis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of Novartis stock traded up $1.29 on Friday, reaching $112.69. 2,537,924 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,493,163. The firm has a market capitalization of $230.34 billion, a PE ratio of 19.17, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. Novartis AG has a 1-year low of $92.35 and a 1-year high of $120.92. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $107.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $107.19. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

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Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on NVS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "underweight" rating on the stock. Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, HSBC cut Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "reduce" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Novartis currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $123.38.

Novartis 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.