First American Trust FSB Sells 205 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

First American Trust FSB decreased its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 4.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 4,907 shares of the company’s stock after selling 205 shares during the period. First American Trust FSB’s holdings in Novartis were worth $478,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Novartis by 26.9% in the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 89,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,668,000 after purchasing an additional 18,894 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 20.1% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,001,000 after buying an additional 5,164 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 135.5% during the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 39,976 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,598,000 after buying an additional 22,998 shares during the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth $239,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Novartis by 13.7% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 157,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,088,000 after acquiring an additional 18,990 shares during the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NVS opened at $110.31 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $225.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $107.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $107.24. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.35 and a twelve month high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its 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 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on NVS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating for the company. HSBC cut shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $123.38.

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.