Roble Belko & Company Inc Increases Stock Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Roble Belko & Company Inc boosted its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 46.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 470 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc’s holdings in Novartis were worth $47,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Operose Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in Novartis during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 288 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, Adirondack Trust Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 69.1% in the 3rd quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 389 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of Novartis stock traded up $2.29 on Tuesday, hitting $97.41. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,322,423 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,519,974. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.15. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $92.19 and a 1 year high of $108.78. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $97.98 and a 200-day moving average price of $98.99. The company has a market capitalization of $199.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.54.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.64 by ($0.11). Novartis had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 29.90%. The business had revenue of $11.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.51 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 7.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NVS has been the subject of several analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Novartis in a report on Friday, February 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $114.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novartis in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $114.00 price objective for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $114.00.

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.