Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas Decreases Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas trimmed its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 6.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 2,697 shares of the company’s stock after selling 201 shares during the quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas’ holdings in Novartis were worth $272,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 21.6% in the fourth quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,904 shares of the company’s stock worth $596,000 after buying an additional 1,050 shares in the last quarter. Syon Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novartis in the third quarter worth about $6,568,000. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 368.3% in the fourth quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 20,251 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,045,000 after buying an additional 15,927 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 30.8% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 247,801 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,021,000 after buying an additional 58,395 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 8.1% in the third quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 7,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $791,000 after buying an additional 580 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novartis Trading Up 2.1 %

NVS stock traded up $1.97 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $97.09. 2,849,230 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,525,458. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $97.98 and a 200-day moving average price of $98.99. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $92.19 and a 1 year high of $108.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $198.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.54.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.64 by ($0.11). Novartis had a return on equity of 29.90% and a net margin of 29.83%. The firm had revenue of $11.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.69 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.51 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 7.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

NVS has been the topic of several research reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $114.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $114.00 target price on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $114.00.

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.