Three Seasons Wealth LLC Makes New Investment in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Three Seasons Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 3,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $331,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of Novartis by 35.6% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 423,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,176,000 after buying an additional 111,066 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings 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 in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 5,164 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $239,000. Finally, Arvest Bank Trust Division bought a new position in Novartis in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,674,000. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NVS opened at $111.16 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $109.57 and its 200-day moving average is $106.24. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $234.82 billion, a PE ratio of 18.90, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. Novartis AG has a fifty-two week low of $96.06 and a fifty-two week high of $120.92.

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, topping 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors 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 44.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. BNP Paribas raised Novartis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently 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.