Zions Bancorporation N.A. Decreases Stock Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Zions Bancorporation N.A. lowered its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 22.6% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 549 shares of the company’s stock after selling 160 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation N.A.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $53,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in NVS. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Novartis by 13.7% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 157,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,088,000 after buying an additional 18,990 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 2,218.9% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,229 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,000 after acquiring an additional 1,176 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Novartis by 5.5% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,353,412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $155,669,000 after purchasing an additional 70,314 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in Novartis by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 25,890 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,978,000 after purchasing an additional 1,552 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Novartis by 156,100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,562 shares of the company’s stock worth $180,000 after purchasing an additional 1,561 shares during the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Price Performance

NVS opened at $111.46 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $107.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $107.29. Novartis AG has a fifty-two week low of $92.35 and a fifty-two week high of $120.92. The firm has a market cap of $227.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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, sell-side analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders 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 (DPR) is 42.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on NVS shares. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. HSBC downgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Novartis presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $123.38.

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.