Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Sold by Albert D Mason Inc.

Albert D Mason Inc. cut its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,254 shares of the company’s stock after selling 223 shares during the quarter. Albert D Mason Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $1,290,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Novartis by 15.7% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 1,706,009 shares of the company’s stock worth $196,225,000 after acquiring an additional 231,851 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,353,412 shares of the company’s stock worth $155,669,000 after purchasing an additional 70,314 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Novartis by 2.9% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 938,844 shares of the company’s stock worth $107,986,000 after purchasing an additional 26,317 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in Novartis by 18.7% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 780,980 shares of the company’s stock valued at $90,289,000 after buying an additional 123,077 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in Novartis in the second quarter valued at $64,610,000. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novartis Stock Down 0.4 %

NVS stock opened at $97.51 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $199.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $100.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $108.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.90. Novartis AG has a 12 month low of $92.35 and a 12 month high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.12. Novartis had a net margin of 35.96% and a return on equity of 34.80%. The business had revenue of $12.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.74 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 7.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. HSBC downgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Novartis currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $121.50.

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.