Stokes Family Office LLC Makes New $436,000 Investment in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Stokes Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 4,484 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $436,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. 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 fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Novartis during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Novartis during the 4th quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new stake in Novartis during the 4th quarter worth about $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NVS stock traded down $0.99 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $111.14. 1,543,439 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,474,466. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $106.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $107.32. 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 12-month low of $92.35 and a 12-month high of $120.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $227.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53.

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%. On average, analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Remove Ads

Novartis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors 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 (DPR) is 42.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NVS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, HSBC lowered Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "reduce" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.