O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Sells 17,917 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 7.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 215,445 shares of the company’s stock after selling 17,917 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $20,965,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 12,884 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,254,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its position in Novartis by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 16,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,623,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Novartis by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,161 shares of the company’s stock worth $405,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Angeles Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Novartis by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $316,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP grew its stake in shares of Novartis by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 6,107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $594,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Novartis Price Performance

NVS opened at $112.69 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $230.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $107.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $107.13. Novartis AG has a one year low of $92.35 and a one year high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders 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 presently 42.69%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, HSBC downgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.