Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. Has $16.23 Million Stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. lowered its position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 11.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 166,782 shares of the company’s stock after selling 21,274 shares during the period. Novartis accounts for approximately 2.3% of Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $16,230,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of NVS. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 26.9% during the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 89,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,668,000 after acquiring an additional 18,894 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 20.1% during the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,001,000 after acquiring an additional 5,164 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 135.5% during the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 39,976 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,598,000 after acquiring an additional 22,998 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at $239,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 157,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,088,000 after acquiring an additional 18,990 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Performance

NYSE NVS opened at $111.51 on Thursday. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $92.35 and a 1 year high of $120.92. 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 firm has a market cap of $227.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.96, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $106.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $107.50.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its earnings results 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 research analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on NVS shares. 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. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating on the stock. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, HSBC downgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Novartis presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.