Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Holdings Trimmed by Arvest Investments Inc.

by · The Cerbat Gem

Arvest Investments Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS – Free Report) by 6.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,376 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,159 shares during the period. Arvest Investments Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $1,594,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of NVS. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at $88,339,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Novartis by 17.4% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,002,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $194,908,000 after buying an additional 296,950 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 128.1% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 528,682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,554,000 after purchasing an additional 296,890 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,063,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at $225,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Down 0.6 %

Novartis stock opened at $111.51 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $227.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84. Novartis AG has a fifty-two week low of $92.35 and a fifty-two week high of $120.92. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $106.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $107.50.

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

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders 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 payout ratio is 42.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on NVS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating for the company. Finally, Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $123.38.

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Novartis Profile

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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.

Further Reading

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