Wellington Management Group LLP Sells 351,314 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Wellington Management Group LLP decreased its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 8.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,647,861 shares of the company's stock after selling 351,314 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP owned about 0.18% of Novartis worth $354,973,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Novartis by 13.7% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 157,256 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,088,000 after purchasing an additional 18,990 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its stake in Novartis by 5.5% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,353,412 shares of the company's stock worth $155,669,000 after buying an additional 70,314 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 25,890 shares of the company's stock worth $2,978,000 after buying an additional 1,552 shares during the last quarter. Aureus Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the third quarter worth $222,000. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its holdings in Novartis by 90.1% in the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 45,491 shares of the company's stock worth $5,239,000 after purchasing an additional 21,561 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NVS traded down $6.47 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $105.79. 3,524,603 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,516,180. The company has a market cap of $216.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.99, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. The company's 50-day moving average price is $109.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $106.92. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $92.35 and a 52-week high of $120.92.

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

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's payout ratio is currently 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.