Foresight Global Investors Inc. Buys 7,550 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Foresight Global Investors Inc. raised its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 232,366 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,550 shares during the quarter. Novartis makes up about 16.5% of Foresight Global Investors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Foresight Global Investors Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $22,612,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Novartis by 1.7% in the third quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 5,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $659,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Novartis by 0.8% in 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 grew its position in Novartis by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 16,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,623,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 2.6% during 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 last quarter. Finally, Angeles Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Novartis by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $316,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Performance

NYSE NVS opened at $112.23 on Wednesday. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.35 and a twelve month high of $120.92. The stock has a market cap of $229.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.09, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $105.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.48. 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 data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. As a group, research analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on NVS shares. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. HSBC downgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Novartis presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.38.

Novartis Company 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.