Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Sold by Trust Co. of Vermont

Trust Co. of Vermont lessened its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 47,968 shares of the company’s stock after selling 397 shares during the quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in Novartis were worth $4,668,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Arkadios Wealth Advisors boosted its holdings in Novartis by 38.0% in the 4th quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 8,487 shares of the company’s stock worth $826,000 after acquiring an additional 2,336 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 10,791 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,050,000 after purchasing an additional 1,010 shares during the last quarter. Goldstone Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Novartis by 19.3% during the 4th quarter. Goldstone Financial Group LLC now owns 5,146 shares of the company’s stock worth $501,000 after buying an additional 832 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cohen Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Novartis by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Cohen Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,814 shares of the company’s stock worth $371,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NVS stock traded down $0.35 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $97.51. 1,483,597 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 958,711. The company has a market cap of $199.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.57. Novartis AG has a fifty-two week low of $92.35 and a fifty-two week high of $120.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $100.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $108.98.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.12. Novartis had a return on equity of 34.80% and a net margin of 35.96%. The firm had revenue of $12.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.74 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on NVS. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, HSBC cut shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $121.50.

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.