Mosley Wealth Management Has $303,000 Stock Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Mosley Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 16.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,948 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 420 shares during the quarter. Mosley Wealth Management’s holdings in Novartis were worth $303,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at $88,339,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Novartis by 17.4% in 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 in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in 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 purchased a new position in Novartis during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,063,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at about $225,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NVS stock opened at $112.11 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $106.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.41. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.35 and a twelve month high of $120.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $229.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.07, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS 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, research analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on NVS. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. HSBC downgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average 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.