Syon Capital LLC Cuts Stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Syon Capital LLC lessened its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 13.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 55,649 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,833 shares during the period. Syon Capital LLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $5,619,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. grew its position in shares of Novartis by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. now owns 2,072 shares of the company's stock valued at $209,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. grew its position in shares of Novartis by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 3,641 shares of the company's stock valued at $368,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors grew its position in shares of Novartis by 23.3% during the fourth quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 530 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC grew its position in shares of Novartis by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC now owns 33,062 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,338,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Means Investment CO. Inc. grew its position in shares of Novartis by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Means Investment CO. Inc. now owns 8,074 shares of the company's stock valued at $815,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Novartis Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:NVS traded down $1.62 during trading on Friday, reaching $97.44. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,562,845 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,561,829. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. Novartis AG has a 12 month low of $92.19 and a 12 month high of $108.78. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $97.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $98.99. The stock has a market capitalization of $199.17 billion, a PE ratio of 13.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.54.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.64 by ($0.11). Novartis had a net margin of 31.33% and a return on equity of 32.15%. The business had revenue of $11.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.51 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 7.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a $3.7772 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a yield of 3.1%. This is an increase from Novartis's previous annual dividend of $3.47. Novartis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.79%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on NVS shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $114.00 price objective for the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Novartis from $114.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Novartis has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $115.00.

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.