Wambolt & Associates LLC lowered its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 15.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 26,578 shares of the company's stock after selling 5,011 shares during the quarter. Wambolt & Associates LLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $2,586,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of NVS. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $88,339,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 17.4% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,002,959 shares of the company's stock valued at $194,908,000 after acquiring an additional 296,950 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Novartis by 128.1% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 528,682 shares of the company's stock worth $51,554,000 after purchasing an additional 296,890 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,063,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at about $225,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company's stock.
Novartis Stock Up 1.2 %
Shares of NVS traded up $1.29 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $112.69. The company had a trading volume of 2,537,924 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,493,163. The stock has a market cap of $230.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.17, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company's 50 day moving average price is $107.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $107.19. 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 52 week low of $92.35 and a 52 week high of $120.92.
Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share 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, equities research analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.
Novartis Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors 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 (DPR) is presently 42.69%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. HSBC downgraded shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "reduce" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 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 assumed coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "underweight" rating for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Novartis presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $123.38.
View Our Latest Research Report on NVS
Novartis Profile
(
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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