Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Bought by Belpointe Asset Management LLC

Belpointe Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 32.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 5,707 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,387 shares during the period. Belpointe Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $555,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Novartis Stock Down 0.2 %

NVS stock opened at $109.66 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $224.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.65, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $109.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $106.38. Novartis AG has a 12 month low of $92.35 and a 12 month high of $120.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. As a group, analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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