Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Sold by EP Wealth Advisors LLC

by · The Cerbat Gem

EP Wealth Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS – Free Report) by 12.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,630 shares during the quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $1,168,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Human Investing LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Bellwether Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at $51,000. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on NVS. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Novartis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $123.38.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Novartis

Novartis Price Performance

Novartis stock opened at $108.68 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $229.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.60. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $96.06 and a 1 year high of $120.92. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $110.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $105.95.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $13.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.92 billion. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. The business’s revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.80 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.47%.

Novartis Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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