Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Sold by Oarsman Capital Inc.

Oarsman Capital Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,599 shares of the company’s stock after selling 228 shares during the period. Oarsman Capital Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $545,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Novartis by 17.4% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,002,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $194,908,000 after buying an additional 296,950 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of Novartis by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 1,161,139 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,990,000 after purchasing an additional 52,044 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at about $88,339,000. Truist Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of Novartis by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 771,655 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,090,000 after purchasing an additional 27,092 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its position in Novartis by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 531,885 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,759,000 after purchasing an additional 16,519 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Novartis Stock Down 5.8 %

Shares of NYSE NVS opened at $105.79 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $216.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.99, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $92.35 and a 1 year high of $120.92. 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’s 50-day simple moving average is $109.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $106.98.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 is currently 42.69%.

Novartis Company 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.