Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Sold by Cambridge Trust Co.

Cambridge Trust Co. lessened its position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 300,050 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,121 shares during the period. Novartis comprises about 1.3% of Cambridge Trust Co.’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Cambridge Trust Co.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $30,296,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. HF Advisory Group LLC increased its position in Novartis by 40.9% during the fourth quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,710 shares of the company’s stock worth $475,000 after purchasing an additional 1,368 shares during the last quarter. Key Financial Inc increased its position in Novartis by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 3,140 shares of the company’s stock worth $317,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Novartis by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,979 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,724,000 after purchasing an additional 860 shares during the last quarter. Scissortail Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $735,000. Finally, Tyche Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $216,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NVS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $114.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $114.00 price target for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.33.

Novartis Trading Down 0.7 %

NVS traded down $0.62 during trading on Thursday, hitting $92.46. 647,459 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,481,370. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $92.19 and a 1 year high of $108.78. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $98.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $99.08. The firm has a market cap of $195.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.54.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.64 by ($0.11). Novartis had a return on equity of 29.90% and a net margin of 29.83%. The business had revenue of $11.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.51 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a $3.7772 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This is an increase from Novartis’s previous annual dividend of $3.47. This represents a dividend yield of 3.1%. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio is 33.84%.

Novartis Profile

Novartis AG researches, develops, manufactures, and markets healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. It 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.