Savvy Advisors Inc. Makes New $701,000 Investment in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Savvy Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 7,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $701,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NVS. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis in the fourth quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at $55,000. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NVS opened at $107.54 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market cap of $219.82 billion, a PE ratio of 18.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $108.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $106.38. Novartis AG has a 1-year low of $92.35 and a 1-year high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released 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 net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. As a group, analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 payout ratio is presently 42.69%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on NVS shares. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.