Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Position Trimmed by United Capital Financial Advisors LLC

United Capital Financial Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 77,738 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,767 shares during the quarter. United Capital Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $7,565,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Novartis in the fourth quarter worth $88,339,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of Novartis by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,668,849 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,706,000 after acquiring an additional 368,171 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Novartis by 17.4% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,002,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $194,908,000 after purchasing an additional 296,950 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Novartis by 128.1% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 528,682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,554,000 after purchasing an additional 296,890 shares during the period. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at about $225,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NVS opened at $109.66 on Thursday. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.35 and a twelve month high of $120.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $109.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $106.38. The company has a market capitalization of $224.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.65, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NVS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays reaffirmed 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.38.

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.