Marietta Investment Partners LLC Has $1.73 Million Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Marietta Investment Partners LLC reduced its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 15.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 17,814 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,340 shares during the quarter. Marietta Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $1,733,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $51,000. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Stock Down 1.0 %

NVS opened at $112.11 on Friday. Novartis AG has a 1-year low of $92.35 and a 1-year high of $120.92. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $106.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.48. 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 stock has a market cap of $229.15 billion, a PE ratio of 19.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share 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, research analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating for the company. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus 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.