Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Bought by Independent Advisor Alliance

Independent Advisor Alliance raised its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 23.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 4,362 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 826 shares during the quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance’s holdings in Novartis were worth $424,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NVS. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth $47,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth $55,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NVS opened at $112.24 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $105.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.54. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $92.35 and a 52-week high of $120.92. The firm has a market cap of $229.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.09, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

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

Novartis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s payout ratio is 42.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on NVS shares. HSBC downgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Novartis presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $123.38.

Novartis 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.