Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Purchased by Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.

Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 12.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 37,063 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,091 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.'s holdings in Novartis were worth $3,607,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Novartis in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Human Investing LLC purchased a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on NVS. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. HSBC downgraded Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "reduce" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "underweight" rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $123.38.

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Novartis Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:NVS traded down $1.10 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $112.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,595,371 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,474,189. The firm has a market cap of $229.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.07, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 AG has a 1 year low of $92.35 and a 1 year high of $120.92. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $106.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $107.41.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 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%. Research analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

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

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.