KCM Investment Advisors LLC Decreases Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

KCM Investment Advisors LLC lessened its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 9,645 shares of the company’s stock after selling 102 shares during the period. KCM Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $939,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 17.4% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,002,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $194,908,000 after buying an additional 296,950 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 52,044 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at about $88,339,000. Truist Financial Corp boosted its position in Novartis by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 771,655 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,090,000 after purchasing an additional 27,092 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 531,885 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,759,000 after purchasing an additional 16,519 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Price Performance

NYSE:NVS opened at $105.79 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $216.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $109.02 and a 200 day moving average of $106.98. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $92.35 and a 52-week high of $120.92.

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

Novartis Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s payout ratio is 42.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on NVS shares. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $123.38.

About Novartis

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.