Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Sold by Primecap Management Co. CA

Primecap Management Co. CA lowered its position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 8.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,025,039 shares of the company’s stock after selling 983,016 shares during the period. Primecap Management Co. CA owned approximately 0.54% of Novartis worth $1,072,847,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Centaurus Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Novartis by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 5,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $659,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Novartis by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 12,884 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,254,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its holdings in Novartis by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 16,682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,623,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Novartis by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,161 shares of the company’s stock valued at $405,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Angeles Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Novartis by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $316,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Trading Up 2.9 %

Shares of NVS opened at $112.24 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $229.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $105.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.54. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.35 and a twelve month high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on NVS. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. HSBC cut Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.38.

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.