Walled Lake Planning & Wealth Management LLC Acquires 604 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Walled Lake Planning & Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 52,399 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 604 shares during the period. Novartis comprises about 1.9% of Walled Lake Planning & Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. Walled Lake Planning & Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $5,099,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Novartis by 26.9% during the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 89,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,668,000 after purchasing an additional 18,894 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Novartis by 20.1% during the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,001,000 after buying an additional 5,164 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $239,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 13.7% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 157,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,088,000 after acquiring an additional 18,990 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arvest Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in Novartis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,674,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Price Performance

NVS opened at $112.69 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $107.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $107.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $230.34 billion, a PE ratio of 19.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. Novartis AG has a 52 week low of $92.35 and a 52 week high of $120.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on NVS. HSBC lowered Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently 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.