Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Holdings Trimmed by Wulff Hansen & CO.

Wulff Hansen & CO. lowered its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,945 shares of the company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Wulff Hansen & CO.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $287,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Human Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at $51,000. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NVS stock opened at $112.23 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84. Novartis AG has a fifty-two week low of $92.35 and a fifty-two week high of $120.92. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $105.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.48. The firm has a market cap of $229.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.09, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, HSBC downgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Novartis has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $123.38.

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.