Fox Run Management L.L.C. Sells 158 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Fox Run Management L.L.C. decreased its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 14,489 shares of the company’s stock after selling 158 shares during the quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $1,410,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 18.2% during the third quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $339,000 after buying an additional 454 shares during the last quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp raised its position in shares of Novartis by 9.7% during the 3rd quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 10,442 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,201,000 after acquiring an additional 919 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Novartis by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 157,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,088,000 after acquiring an additional 18,990 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 15,384 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,769,000 after purchasing an additional 963 shares during the period. Finally, Citigroup Inc. boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 294,178 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,836,000 after purchasing an additional 42,642 shares during the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Novartis Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:NVS opened at $112.11 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $229.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.07, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. Novartis AG has a 12 month low of $92.35 and a 12 month high of $120.92. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $106.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) 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, research analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NVS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating for the company. Finally, HSBC lowered Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Novartis presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.