Signaturefd LLC Decreases Stock Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Signaturefd LLC decreased its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 40,090 shares of the company’s stock after selling 396 shares during the quarter. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $3,901,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Human Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating on the stock. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, HSBC cut shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $123.38.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NVS opened at $109.15 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $105.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $107.59. The firm has a market cap of $223.10 billion, a PE ratio of 18.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. Novartis AG has a 12-month low of $92.35 and a 12-month high of $120.92. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.69%.

About Novartis

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.