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

Oarsman Capital Inc. lessened its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 5,599 shares of the company’s stock after selling 228 shares during the period. Oarsman Capital Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $545,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Smith Moore & CO. grew its position in shares of Novartis by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. Smith Moore & CO. now owns 2,224 shares of the company’s stock valued at $216,000 after buying an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Novartis by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC now owns 4,123 shares of the company’s stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Novartis by 519.1% during the 4th quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 4,532 shares of the company’s stock worth $441,000 after purchasing an additional 3,800 shares during the period. Pitcairn Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 10,161 shares of the company’s stock worth $989,000 after purchasing an additional 866 shares during the last quarter. Finally, World Investment Advisors boosted its position in Novartis by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 36,929 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,594,000 after purchasing an additional 3,258 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began 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 one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $123.38.

Novartis Stock Performance

NVS opened at $105.79 on Friday. Novartis AG has a 1-year low of $92.35 and a 1-year high of $120.92. The company has a market capitalization of $216.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $109.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $106.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its earnings results 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%. Research analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS 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 paid a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s dividend 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.