Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Sold by Loomis Sayles & Co. L P

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P lessened its position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 3.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,576,961 shares of the company’s stock after selling 192,677 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P owned about 0.27% of Novartis worth $542,694,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 12,884 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,254,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 16,682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,623,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the period. Meridian Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,161 shares of the company’s stock valued at $405,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Angeles Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Novartis by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,249 shares of the company’s stock worth $316,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 6,107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $594,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of Novartis stock opened at $110.08 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $92.35 and a 52-week high of $120.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $225.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $107.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.26.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 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, research analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s payout ratio is 42.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on NVS. StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating on the stock. Finally, HSBC cut shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.