Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Sold by Baldwin Wealth Partners LLC MA

Baldwin Wealth Partners LLC MA trimmed its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 14.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 41,420 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,858 shares during the period. Baldwin Wealth Partners LLC MA's holdings in Novartis were worth $4,617,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new position in shares of Novartis in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Human Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Novartis Price Performance

Novartis stock traded up $2.62 during trading on Thursday, reaching $120.69. The company had a trading volume of 1,204,221 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,584,037. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $111.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $106.86. Novartis AG has a 1-year low of $96.06 and a 1-year high of $121.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $254.95 billion, a PE ratio of 20.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 quarter last year, the company earned $1.80 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on NVS. BNP Paribas upgraded Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "underweight" rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $123.38.

About Novartis

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.