Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Sold by Signaturefd LLC

Signaturefd LLC lessened its position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 40,090 shares of the company’s stock after selling 396 shares during the quarter. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $3,901,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NVS. Atlanta Consulting Group Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis during the third quarter worth $317,000. Adero Partners LLC grew its stake in Novartis by 45.2% during the 3rd quarter. Adero Partners LLC now owns 2,807 shares of the company’s stock valued at $323,000 after acquiring an additional 874 shares in the last quarter. Claro Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Novartis during the 3rd quarter valued at about $533,000. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. raised its holdings in Novartis by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. now owns 121,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,006,000 after acquiring an additional 1,294 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Novartis by 18.2% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $339,000 after purchasing an additional 454 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Price Performance

Novartis stock opened at $109.15 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $223.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $105.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $107.59. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $92.35 and a 1 year high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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, equities research analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on NVS. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, HSBC cut shares of 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.