World Investment Advisors Raises Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

World Investment Advisors raised its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 9.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 36,929 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,258 shares during the quarter. World Investment Advisors' holdings in Novartis were worth $3,594,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Human Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Novartis in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis in the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new stake in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NVS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "underweight" rating on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $123.38.

Novartis Stock Performance

NVS stock traded down $2.27 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $101.58. 1,522,542 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,535,753. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04. Novartis AG has a 52 week low of $92.35 and a 52 week high of $120.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $207.64 billion, a PE ratio of 17.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $108.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $106.59.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.69%.

Novartis Company 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.