National Wealth Management Group LLC Invests $211,000 in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

National Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 2,172 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $211,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC increased its position in Novartis by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 12,884 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,254,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its position in shares of Novartis by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 16,682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,623,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,161 shares of the company’s stock worth $405,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Angeles Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,249 shares of the company’s stock worth $316,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP grew its position in Novartis by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 6,107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $594,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the period. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. HSBC cut shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $123.38.

Novartis Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NVS opened at $111.48 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $227.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $92.35 and a 1 year high of $120.92. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $108.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $107.10.

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, equities analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

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

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.