Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Sold by Martin Investment Management LLC

Martin Investment Management LLC lowered its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 3.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 227,083 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,553 shares during the period. Novartis accounts for about 6.1% of Martin Investment Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest position. Martin Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $22,097,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

NVS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. HSBC lowered shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $123.38.

Novartis Stock Down 1.8 %

NYSE:NVS opened at $109.49 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $223.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.62, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $108.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $107.06. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $92.35 and a 1 year high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (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 analysts expect 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. Shareholders 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 presently 42.69%.

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.