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

Ellevest Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 12.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,970 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,326 shares during the quarter. Ellevest Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $1,554,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 12,884 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,254,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its stake in Novartis by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 16,682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,623,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Meridian Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Novartis by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,161 shares of the company’s stock valued at $405,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Angeles Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Novartis by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,249 shares of the company’s stock worth $316,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 6,107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $594,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NVS opened at $110.20 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $232.78 billion, a PE ratio of 18.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.60. 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 has a fifty day moving average of $110.31 and a 200-day moving average of $105.99. Novartis AG has a one year low of $96.06 and a one year high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $13.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.92 billion. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. Novartis’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.80 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

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 is currently 40.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. BNP Paribas upgraded Novartis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.