Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Sold by PDS Planning Inc

PDS Planning Inc lessened its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 1.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 7,990 shares of the company’s stock after selling 122 shares during the period. PDS Planning Inc’s holdings in Novartis were worth $778,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NVS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, HSBC lowered Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $123.38.

Novartis Price Performance

NVS stock opened at $112.24 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $229.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The business’s 50-day moving average is $105.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.54. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $92.35 and a 1 year high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its quarterly 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%. Analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

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