Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Holdings Cut by Arvest Investments Inc.

Arvest Investments Inc. lowered its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 6.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,376 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,159 shares during the period. Arvest Investments Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $1,594,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NVS. Human Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Trading Down 0.6 %

Novartis stock opened at $111.51 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market cap of $227.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $92.35 and a 1 year high of $120.92. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $106.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $107.50.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. On average, research analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s payout ratio is 42.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. HSBC cut Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $123.38.

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.