Waldron Private Wealth LLC Purchases 132 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Waldron Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 6.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,210 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. Waldron Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $223,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Operose Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new stake in Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 480.0% in the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 348 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vestor Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the second quarter worth $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NVS opened at $93.19 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $197.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.98, a PEG ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.54. Novartis AG has a one year low of $92.19 and a one year high of $108.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $98.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $99.12.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.64 by ($0.11). Novartis had a return on equity of 29.90% and a net margin of 29.83%. The firm had revenue of $11.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.51 EPS. Research analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 7.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a $3.7772 dividend. This is a positive change from Novartis’s previous annual dividend of $3.47. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a dividend yield of 3.1%. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.84%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $114.00 price objective for the company. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Friday, February 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $114.00 price objective on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Novartis has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $104.33.

Novartis Company Profile

Novartis AG researches, develops, manufactures, and markets healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. It 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.