Millstone Evans Group LLC Acquires Shares of 3,132 Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 3,132 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $305,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NVS. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth $88,339,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Novartis by 17.4% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,002,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $194,908,000 after acquiring an additional 296,950 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Novartis by 128.1% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 528,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,554,000 after acquiring an additional 296,890 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the 3rd quarter worth $30,063,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth $225,000. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on NVS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating on the stock. HSBC cut Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Novartis currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.38.

Novartis Stock Performance

NYSE:NVS opened at $112.11 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $106.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $107.48. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.35 and a twelve month high of $120.92. The stock has a market cap of $229.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.07, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

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 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%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS 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 issued a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio is 42.69%.

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.