Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Sold by Prudent Man Advisors LLC

Prudent Man Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 9.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,825 shares of the company’s stock after selling 305 shares during the period. Prudent Man Advisors LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $285,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. now owns 2,072 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 3,641 shares of the company’s stock valued at $368,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 23.3% in the 4th quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 530 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC now owns 33,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,338,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Means Investment CO. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Means Investment CO. Inc. now owns 8,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $815,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE NVS traded down $0.06 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $103.07. 1,092,405 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,490,975. The company has a 50 day moving average of $97.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $100.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $92.19 and a 52-week high of $108.78. The firm has a market cap of $210.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.92, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.58.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.80 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.73 by $0.07. Novartis had a return on equity of 32.15% and a net margin of 31.33%. The company had revenue of $11.83 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.50 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on NVS. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Novartis from $114.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Novartis in a report on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $120.00 price objective on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Novartis has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $116.67.

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.