Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 519.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,532 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,800 shares during the quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $441,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Novartis during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Human Investing LLC bought a new stake in Novartis in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at $51,000. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays reissued 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 assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $123.38.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NVS stock opened at $105.79 on Friday. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.35 and a twelve 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. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $109.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $107.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $216.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.