2,175 Shares in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Acquired by Guardian Partners Inc.

Guardian Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund bought 2,175 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $218,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Novartis in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NVS opened at $112.11 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $229.15 billion, a PE ratio of 19.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. Novartis AG has a one year low of $92.35 and a one year high of $120.92. 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $106.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $107.32.

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

Novartis Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on NVS shares. HSBC lowered shares of 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 research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average 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.