Financial Counselors Inc. Has $25.13 Million Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Financial Counselors Inc. reduced its position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 258,224 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,589 shares during the quarter. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $25,128,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Novartis Trading Down 0.7 %

NVS stock opened at $110.31 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.35 and a twelve month high of $120.92. The company has a market cap of $225.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.76, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a fifty day moving average of $107.12 and a 200-day moving average of $107.24.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released 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 net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. As a group, equities research analysts expect 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. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s payout ratio is presently 42.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating on the stock. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.