Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Sold by EP Wealth Advisors LLC

EP Wealth Advisors LLC lessened its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 12.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 12,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,630 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $1,168,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 35.6% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 423,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,176,000 after acquiring an additional 111,066 shares during the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Novartis by 26.9% during the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 89,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,668,000 after purchasing an additional 18,894 shares during the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth about $239,000. Agate Pass Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at about $702,000. Finally, Flywheel Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $272,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NVS opened at $108.68 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $110.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $105.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $96.06 and a 1 year high of $120.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $229.58 billion, a PE ratio of 18.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.60.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.16. Novartis had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. The company had revenue of $13.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.80 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.47%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. BNP Paribas raised Novartis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Novartis presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $123.38.

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.