Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA Has $4.64 Million Stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA lowered its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 10.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 45,943 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,321 shares during the quarter. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA’s holdings in Novartis were worth $4,639,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Novartis by 2.9% during the third quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,646 shares of the company’s stock worth $473,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $211,000. Advisor Partners II LLC lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 21.1% in the third quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC now owns 31,895 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,249,000 after buying an additional 5,552 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Novartis by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 30,083 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,064,000 after purchasing an additional 1,442 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sage Rhino Capital LLC boosted its position in Novartis by 5.3% during the third quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC now owns 7,574 shares of the company’s stock worth $771,000 after purchasing an additional 384 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:NVS traded up $1.72 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $101.93. 900,031 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,537,180. The firm has a market capitalization of $208.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.52, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.53. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $97.09 and its 200-day moving average price is $99.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.90. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.19 and a twelve month high of $108.78.

Novartis Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a dividend of $3.7772 per share. This represents a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This is an increase from Novartis’s previous annual dividend of $3.47. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on NVS shares. 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 lifted their price objective on Novartis from $114.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 24th.

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.