Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. Has $141,000 Stock Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

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

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Human Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in Novartis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter worth $51,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novartis Stock Up 1.2 %

NVS stock opened at $112.69 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $230.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a 50-day moving average of $107.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $107.19. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $92.35 and a 52-week high of $120.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current 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 paid a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s payout ratio is currently 42.69%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. HSBC downgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Novartis currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.