Rep. George Whitesides Sells Off Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Representative George Whitesides (D-California) recently sold shares of Novartis AG NYSE: NVS. In a filing disclosed on April 23rd, the Representative disclosed that they had sold between $100,001 and $250,000 in Novartis stock on March 24th. The trade occurred in the Representative's "GEORGE WHITESIDES INDIVIDUAL" account.

Representative George Whitesides also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $100,001 - $250,000 in shares of Netflix NASDAQ: NFLX on 3/27/2025.
• Sold $250,001 - $500,000 in shares of Innoviva NASDAQ: INVA on 3/25/2025.
• Sold $100,001 - $250,000 in shares of Linde NASDAQ: LIN on 3/24/2025.
• Sold $100,001 - $250,000 in shares of Procter & Gamble NYSE: PG on 3/24/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Sandoz Group OTCMKTS: SDZNY on 3/24/2025.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of American Electric Power NASDAQ: AEP on 3/24/2025.
• Sold $50,001 - $100,000 in shares of Medtronic NYSE: MDT on 3/24/2025.
• Sold $100,001 - $250,000 in shares of McDonald's NYSE: MCD on 3/24/2025.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Bank of America NYSE: BAC on 3/24/2025.
• Sold $15,001 - $50,000 in shares of Diageo NYSE: DEO on 3/24/2025.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NVS opened at $112.23 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $109.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $106.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84. Novartis AG has a 1-year low of $96.06 and a 1-year high of $120.92. The stock has a market cap of $237.08 billion, a PE ratio of 19.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) 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%. As a group, analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The business 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 currently 44.05%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novartis

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mather Group LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 7,911 shares of the company's stock valued at $882,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. Altus Wealth Group LLC purchased a new stake in Novartis in the first quarter valued at approximately $495,000. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the first quarter valued at approximately $75,000. Argent Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Novartis by 7.1% during the first quarter. Argent Advisors Inc. now owns 2,863 shares of the company's stock worth $319,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Guerra Advisors Inc purchased a new position in shares of Novartis during the first quarter worth approximately $524,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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 research note on Thursday, February 13th. BNP Paribas upgraded Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "underweight" rating for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Novartis presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $123.38.

About Representative Whitesides

George Whitesides (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing California's 27th Congressional District. He assumed office on January 3, 2025. His current term ends on January 3, 2027. Whitesides (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent California's 27th Congressional District. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024. George Whitesides earned a bachelor's degree in public and international affairs from Princeton University in 1996 and a master's degree in remote sensing and GIS from the University of Cambridge in 2000. His career experience includes working as the chief of staff for NASA during the administration of President Barack Obama (D) and the CEO of human spaceflight company Virgin Galactic. Whitesides co-founded Megafire Action, an organization dedicated to responding to wildfires. Whitesides co-chaired the Antelope Valley Covid-19 Task Force and joined the Antelope Valley Economic Development and Growth Enterprise (AV EDGE) as a board member.

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.

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