Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC Lowers Stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC lowered its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 8.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 3,292 shares of the company’s stock after selling 323 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $332,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Novartis by 21.6% during the fourth quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,904 shares of the company’s stock valued at $596,000 after purchasing an additional 1,050 shares in the last quarter. Syon Capital LLC bought a new stake in Novartis in the third quarter worth $6,568,000. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Novartis by 368.3% during the fourth quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 20,251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,045,000 after acquiring an additional 15,927 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in Novartis by 30.8% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 247,801 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,021,000 after acquiring an additional 58,395 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Novartis by 8.1% in the third quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 7,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $791,000 after purchasing an additional 580 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of Novartis stock opened at $97.29 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $198.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.55, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $97.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $98.99. Novartis AG has a 52 week low of $92.19 and a 52 week high of $108.78.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.64 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $11.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.69 billion. Novartis had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 29.90%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.51 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 7.13 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th were given a dividend of $3.7772 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This is a positive change from Novartis’s previous annual dividend of $3.47. This represents a yield of 3.1%. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on NVS shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $114.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $114.00 price target for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $114.00.

Novartis 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.