Cambiar Investors LLC Sells 91,047 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Cambiar Investors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 42.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 125,609 shares of the company’s stock after selling 91,047 shares during the quarter. Cambiar Investors LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $14,448,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Americana Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Novartis by 0.5% during the third quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 28,018 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,223,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in Novartis by 18.9% during the third quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 26,144 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,007,000 after purchasing an additional 4,153 shares during the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton grew its stake in Novartis by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 1,314 shares of the company’s stock worth $151,000 after buying an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of Novartis by 12.1% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 242,627 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,907,000 after buying an additional 26,150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HM Payson & Co. raised its position in shares of Novartis by 12.8% during the 3rd quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 3,163 shares of the company’s stock valued at $364,000 after buying an additional 358 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Novartis Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NVS opened at $109.34 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $115.76 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $109.12. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.35 and a twelve month high of $120.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $223.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.70, a PEG ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.12. Novartis had a return on equity of 34.80% and a net margin of 35.96%. The company had revenue of $12.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.62 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.74 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 7.56 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on NVS shares. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $121.00 price objective (up from $119.00) on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Bank of America downgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $135.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Novartis currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $121.50.

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.