Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Stock Holdings Reduced by Ethic Inc.

Ethic Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 9.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 119,673 shares of the company's stock after selling 13,074 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in Novartis were worth $11,645,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Novartis by 35.6% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 423,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,176,000 after purchasing an additional 111,066 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at $239,000. Agate Pass Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at $702,000. Finally, Flywheel Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at $272,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of NYSE NVS traded down $1.45 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $108.68. 1,640,075 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,566,744. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $96.06 and a 1 year high of $120.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $229.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.48, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The business has a 50 day moving average of $110.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $105.84.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.16. Novartis had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. The firm had revenue of $13.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.92 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.80 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's payout ratio is 40.47%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "underweight" rating for the company. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.