Farther Finance Advisors LLC Sells 961 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Farther Finance Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 7.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,239 shares of the company’s stock after selling 961 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $1,191,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NVS. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,967 shares of the company’s stock valued at $341,000 after purchasing an additional 354 shares in the last quarter. Haverford Trust Co boosted its holdings in Novartis by 2.0% in the third quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 37,423 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,304,000 after acquiring an additional 746 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in Novartis by 3.5% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 33,856 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,894,000 after acquiring an additional 1,150 shares in the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Novartis by 62.7% in the third quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 4,420 shares of the company’s stock worth $508,000 after acquiring an additional 1,703 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cable Hill Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Novartis by 4.8% in the third quarter. Cable Hill Partners LLC now owns 11,933 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,373,000 after acquiring an additional 550 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NVS opened at $109.09 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a market capitalization of $222.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.55, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $105.13 and a 200 day moving average of $107.84. Novartis AG has a 12 month low of $92.35 and a 12 month high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors 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

NVS has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, HSBC downgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Novartis currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.