Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Purchased by Gallacher Capital Management LLC

Gallacher Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 5,060 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $492,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in NVS. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Human Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new stake in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on NVS. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, HSBC lowered shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $123.38.

Novartis Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of NVS stock opened at $109.15 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $223.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Novartis AG has a fifty-two week low of $92.35 and a fifty-two week high of $120.92. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $105.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $107.68.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. On average, analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.69%.

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.