Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Sold by Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC reduced its position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 81,554 shares of the company’s stock after selling 487 shares during the quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $7,936,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Centaurus Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Novartis by 1.7% in the third quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 5,728 shares of the company’s stock valued at $659,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Allen Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Novartis by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Allen Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,788 shares of the company’s stock valued at $666,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Novartis by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 9,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,092,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Novartis by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 12,884 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,254,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC raised its position in shares of Novartis by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 16,682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,623,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NVS opened at $109.06 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $102.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $108.04. Novartis AG has a 52 week low of $92.35 and a 52 week high of $120.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $222.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.55, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

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 net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. Analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on NVS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating on the stock. HSBC cut Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Novartis currently 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.