Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Sold by Wulff Hansen & CO.

Wulff Hansen & CO. trimmed its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 3.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,945 shares of the company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Wulff Hansen & CO.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $287,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Human Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $51,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. HSBC downgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $123.38.

Novartis Trading Up 0.0 %

NYSE:NVS opened at $112.23 on Wednesday. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $92.35 and a 1 year high of $120.92. The stock has a market cap of $229.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.09, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a fifty day moving average of $105.92 and a 200-day moving average of $107.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04.

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

Novartis Dividend Announcement

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

Novartis Profile

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.