Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Sold by Interchange Capital Partners LLC

Interchange Capital Partners LLC lessened its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 4.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,074 shares of the company’s stock after selling 93 shares during the period. Interchange Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $202,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Twin City Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Twin City Private Wealth LLC now owns 7,584 shares of the company’s stock worth $738,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares in the last quarter. FCA Corp TX boosted its position in Novartis by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. FCA Corp TX now owns 24,214 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,356,000 after buying an additional 398 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Novartis by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 450,219 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,811,000 after acquiring an additional 18,630 shares in the last quarter. Mosley Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Novartis by 16.6% during the fourth quarter. Mosley Wealth Management now owns 2,948 shares of the company’s stock worth $303,000 after acquiring an additional 420 shares during the period. Finally, Guardian Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at $218,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NVS opened at $111.14 on Tuesday. 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 AG has a 1-year low of $92.35 and a 1-year high of $120.92. The stock has a market cap of $227.18 billion, a PE ratio of 18.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $106.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $107.29.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s payout ratio is 42.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on NVS shares. HSBC downgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average 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.