HF Advisory Group LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

HF Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 40.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 4,710 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,368 shares during the period. HF Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $475,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Key Financial Inc raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 3,140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $317,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Novartis by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Telos Capital Management Inc. now owns 26,979 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,724,000 after buying an additional 860 shares in the last quarter. Scissortail Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at $735,000. Tyche Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at $216,000. Finally, Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. raised its stake in Novartis by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 7,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $733,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novartis Stock Down 0.5 %

NVS opened at $92.57 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $98.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $99.03. 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 one year low of $92.19 and a one year high of $108.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $196.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.54.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $1.53 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.51 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 7.15 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NVS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Novartis in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $114.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $114.00 price target on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $104.33.

Novartis 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.