Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Decreases Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 1.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,290 shares of the company’s stock after selling 250 shares during the period. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $1,780,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Simplicity Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Novartis by 52.3% during the fourth quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 3,621 shares of the company’s stock valued at $352,000 after purchasing an additional 1,244 shares in the last quarter. Enterprise Financial Services Corp lifted its holdings in Novartis by 5.6% during the fourth quarter. Enterprise Financial Services Corp now owns 3,016 shares of the company’s stock valued at $293,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. lifted its holdings in Novartis by 28.4% during the fourth quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 4,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $395,000 after purchasing an additional 899 shares in the last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich purchased a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at $195,000. Finally, Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Novartis by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,773 shares of the company’s stock valued at $464,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NVS stock opened at $111.48 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $104.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.82. Novartis AG has a 12 month low of $92.35 and a 12 month high of $120.92. The company has a market capitalization of $227.87 billion, a PE ratio of 18.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note 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. HSBC downgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus 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.