OLD Mission Capital LLC Cuts Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

OLD Mission Capital LLC decreased its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 21.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 136,145 shares of the company's stock after selling 37,778 shares during the period. OLD Mission Capital LLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $13,248,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on NVS shares. Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "underweight" rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $123.38.

Novartis Trading Down 5.8 %

NVS traded down $6.47 during trading on Friday, hitting $105.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,524,603 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,516,180. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.35 and a twelve month high of $120.92. The stock has a market cap of $216.24 billion, a PE ratio of 17.99, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $109.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $106.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. On average, analysts expect 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 issued 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%.

About Novartis

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.