Rathbones Group PLC lowered its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 9.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 50,876 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,327 shares during the quarter. Rathbones Group PLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $4,951,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. IHT Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Novartis by 44.9% during the 3rd quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,216 shares of the company's stock valued at $369,000 after purchasing an additional 996 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its holdings in Novartis by 3.9% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 219,027 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,194,000 after buying an additional 8,284 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Novartis by 15.6% in the third quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 13,630 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,568,000 after acquiring an additional 1,837 shares during the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its holdings in Novartis by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 32,423 shares of the company's stock worth $3,729,000 after acquiring an additional 1,079 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company's stock.
Novartis Stock Up 4.0 %
NVS traded up $4.14 during trading on Friday, hitting $107.54. The company had a trading volume of 4,745,829 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,553,079. The company has a market capitalization of $219.82 billion, a PE ratio of 18.29, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. 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 one year low of $92.35 and a one year high of $120.92. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $108.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $106.38.
Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 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%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.
Novartis Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's dividend payout ratio is currently 42.69%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays restated an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "underweight" rating for the company. Three 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $123.38.
View Our Latest Stock Report on Novartis
About Novartis
(
Free Report)
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.
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