Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Stock Holdings Decreased by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. lessened its position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 15.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 23,054 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,054 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $2,328,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Operose Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 480.0% in the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 348 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 288 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Adirondack Trust Co. boosted its stake in Novartis by 69.1% during the third quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 389 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NVS traded down $0.14 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $97.36. The stock had a trading volume of 779,088 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,557,941. The stock has a market capitalization of $199.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The company’s fifty day moving average is $97.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $98.97. Novartis AG has a 52 week low of $92.19 and a 52 week high of $108.78.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.64 by ($0.11). Novartis had a return on equity of 32.15% and a net margin of 31.33%. The firm had revenue of $11.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.51 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 7.26 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Investors 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 is 32.79%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on NVS. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $114.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Novartis from $114.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th.

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.