LPL Financial LLC Grows Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

LPL Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 450,219 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,630 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $43,811,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Human Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of Novartis stock opened at $112.69 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $107.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $107.26. Novartis AG has a fifty-two week low of $92.35 and a fifty-two week high of $120.92. The firm has a market cap of $230.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.17, a P/E/G 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 (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s payout ratio is currently 42.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on NVS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, HSBC lowered Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $123.38.

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.