HUB Investment Partners LLC Sells 125 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

HUB Investment Partners LLC reduced its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 4.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,013 shares of the company’s stock after selling 125 shares during the period. HUB Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $293,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Novartis by 17.4% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,002,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $194,908,000 after purchasing an additional 296,950 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Novartis by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,353,412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $155,669,000 after purchasing an additional 70,314 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of Novartis by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 1,161,139 shares of the company’s stock valued at $112,990,000 after purchasing an additional 52,044 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $88,339,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 18.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 780,980 shares of the company’s stock worth $90,289,000 after acquiring an additional 123,077 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Novartis Stock Performance

NVS stock opened at $112.11 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $106.67 and its 200-day moving average is $107.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a market cap of $229.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.35 and a twelve month high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. Equities research analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.69%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. HSBC downgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, 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.