Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. Sells 118 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. reduced its position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 7.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,444 shares of the company’s stock after selling 118 shares during the quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $141,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NVS. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth about $88,339,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Novartis by 17.4% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,002,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $194,908,000 after purchasing an additional 296,950 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Novartis by 128.1% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 528,682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,554,000 after purchasing an additional 296,890 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,063,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $225,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Trading Up 1.2 %

NVS opened at $112.69 on Friday. Novartis AG has a 1-year low of $92.35 and a 1-year high of $120.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $230.34 billion, a PE ratio of 19.17, a PEG 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. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $107.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $107.19.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on NVS shares. HSBC lowered Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Novartis currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.