Janus Henderson Group PLC Sells 183,338 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Janus Henderson Group PLC lessened its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 7.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,358,523 shares of the company’s stock after selling 183,338 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned 0.12% of Novartis worth $229,507,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 35.6% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 423,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,176,000 after acquiring an additional 111,066 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Novartis by 26.9% during the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 89,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,668,000 after acquiring an additional 18,894 shares during the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $239,000. Agate Pass Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $702,000. Finally, Flywheel Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $272,000. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on NVS shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. BNP Paribas raised Novartis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Novartis has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $123.38.

Novartis Trading Down 1.3%

Shares of Novartis stock opened at $108.68 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $229.58 billion, a PE ratio of 18.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.60. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $96.06 and a twelve month high of $120.92. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $110.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $105.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.16. Novartis had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. The business had revenue of $13.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.92 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.80 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s payout ratio is presently 40.47%.

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.