Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Sold by Cambridge Trust Co.

Cambridge Trust Co. lessened its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 300,050 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,121 shares during the period. Novartis accounts for approximately 1.3% of Cambridge Trust Co.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Cambridge Trust Co.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $30,296,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. HF Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of Novartis by 40.9% during the 4th quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,710 shares of the company’s stock worth $475,000 after purchasing an additional 1,368 shares during the last quarter. Key Financial Inc raised its holdings in Novartis by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 3,140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $317,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Novartis by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,979 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,724,000 after acquiring an additional 860 shares during the last quarter. Scissortail Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at about $735,000. Finally, Tyche Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at about $216,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of Novartis stock traded down $0.62 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $92.46. The stock had a trading volume of 647,459 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,481,370. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $98.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $99.08. Novartis AG has a 12-month low of $92.19 and a 12-month high of $108.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market cap of $195.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.54.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 29.90%. The firm had revenue of $11.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.69 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.51 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a $3.7772 dividend. This is a boost from Novartis’s previous annual dividend of $3.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a dividend yield of 3.1%. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio is 33.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on NVS. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Friday, February 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $114.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $114.00 price objective for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $104.33.

Novartis Profile

Novartis AG researches, develops, manufactures, and markets healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. It 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.