GeoWealth Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

GeoWealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 199.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,918 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,606 shares during the quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $673,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter worth about $51,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "underweight" rating on the stock. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. BNP Paribas upgraded Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $123.38.

Novartis Trading Up 1.0 %

NYSE NVS traded up $1.06 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $112.23. 2,213,607 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,544,176. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The stock has a market cap of $237.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $109.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $106.23. Novartis AG has a one year low of $96.06 and a one year high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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%. On average, analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.05%.

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.