U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 99,194 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,226 shares during the quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $10,016,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth about $203,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its stake in Novartis by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 6,408 shares of the company’s stock worth $647,000 after buying an additional 377 shares in the last quarter. Smart Money Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Novartis by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Smart Money Group LLC now owns 5,805 shares of the company’s stock valued at $586,000 after acquiring an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 12.3% in the fourth quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $253,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Novartis by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 931,127 shares of the company’s stock worth $94,014,000 after acquiring an additional 3,270 shares during the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NVS traded down $0.07 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $97.27. The company had a trading volume of 1,045,674 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,908,977. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $97.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $98.96. The stock has a market cap of $198.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.71. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.19 and a twelve month high of $108.78.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its 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 32.15% and a net margin of 31.33%. The company had revenue of $11.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.69 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.51 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 7.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a dividend of $3.7772 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This is an increase from Novartis’s previous annual dividend of $3.47. This represents a yield of 3.1%. Novartis’s payout ratio is 32.79%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novartis in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $114.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Novartis from $114.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th.

About Novartis

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.