Crux Wealth Advisors Makes New $402,000 Investment in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Crux Wealth Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 4,132 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $402,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Human Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Novartis Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NVS traded up $1.50 on Thursday, reaching $111.08. The company's stock had a trading volume of 973,057 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,555,243. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $109.08 and a 200-day moving average of $106.38. 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 $227.04 billion, a PE ratio of 18.91, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. 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 - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. Equities analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's payout ratio is 42.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on NVS. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.