Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Sold by Cozad Asset Management Inc.

Cozad Asset Management Inc. decreased its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 4.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 2,158 shares of the company’s stock after selling 106 shares during the period. Cozad Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $210,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Novartis Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of NVS stock opened at $112.23 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $105.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.48. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.35 and a twelve month high of $120.92. The company has a market capitalization of $229.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend payout ratio is currently 42.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NVS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.