Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Buys 1,198 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 33,621 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,198 shares during the quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $3,272,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $88,339,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 296,950 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 128.1% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 528,682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,554,000 after purchasing an additional 296,890 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis in the third quarter valued at about $30,063,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth about $225,000. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on NVS. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. HSBC lowered shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued 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, Novartis has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $123.38.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NVS opened at $111.48 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $227.87 billion, a PE ratio of 18.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $108.20 and a 200-day moving average of $107.10. 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.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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, equities analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The firm 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 was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio is 42.69%.

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.