Causeway Capital Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Causeway Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 20.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,866 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,516 shares during the quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $571,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Novartis by 35.6% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 423,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,176,000 after buying an additional 111,066 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Novartis by 26.9% during the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 89,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,668,000 after purchasing an additional 18,894 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 20.1% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,001,000 after purchasing an additional 5,164 shares during the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $239,000. Finally, Arvest Bank Trust Division bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,674,000. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Up 4.0 %

Shares of NYSE:NVS opened at $107.54 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $108.96 and its 200 day moving average is $106.38. The stock has a market cap of $219.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $92.35 and a 52-week high of $120.92. 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 (NYSE:NVS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. Sell-side analysts predict 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. Investors 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on NVS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus 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.