Dillon & Associates Inc. Decreases Stock Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Dillon & Associates Inc. lessened its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 3,134 shares of the company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Dillon & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $304,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Human Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter worth approximately $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of Novartis stock opened at $112.11 on Monday. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.35 and a twelve month high of $120.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $229.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.07, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $106.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $107.32.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating on the stock. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Three 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average 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.