RWA Wealth Partners LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

RWA Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,565 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 160 shares during the quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $931,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 26.9% in the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 89,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,668,000 after acquiring an additional 18,894 shares during the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Novartis by 20.1% during the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,001,000 after buying an additional 5,164 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth $239,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position 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 buying an additional 18,990 shares during the period. Finally, Arvest Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in Novartis in the third quarter valued at $2,674,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Stock Performance

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

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 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%. On average, research analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. HSBC downgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $123.38.

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.