Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Sold by Voya Investment Management LLC

Voya Investment Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 28.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 38,770 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,665 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $3,773,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of NVS. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis in the third quarter worth about $427,000. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Novartis in the 3rd quarter worth about $3,873,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 263.6% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 41,404 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,762,000 after purchasing an additional 30,016 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 24.4% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 5,680 shares of the company's stock worth $653,000 after buying an additional 1,114 shares during the period. Finally, Synovus Financial Corp grew its holdings in Novartis by 42.7% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 19,157 shares of the company's stock worth $2,204,000 after acquiring an additional 5,728 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on NVS shares. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. BNP Paribas raised Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "underweight" rating for the company. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $123.38.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NVS stock traded down $1.20 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $113.09. The company had a trading volume of 1,190,709 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,559,343. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $110.13 and a 200-day moving average of $105.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $238.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.23, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.60. Novartis AG has a 12-month low of $96.06 and a 12-month high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last issued 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. The company had revenue of $13.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.92 billion. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.80 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

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

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.