Benjamin Edwards Inc. Has $3.60 Million Stock Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. lessened its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 18.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 36,933 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,558 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in Novartis were worth $3,597,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Bellwether Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new stake in Novartis in the fourth quarter worth approximately $51,000. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NVS opened at $113.09 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $238.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.60. Novartis AG has a 52 week low of $96.06 and a 52 week high of $120.92. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $110.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $105.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.16. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. The business had revenue of $13.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.92 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.80 earnings per share. Novartis's revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's payout ratio is currently 40.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. BNP Paribas upgraded Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "underweight" rating on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Novartis has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $123.38.

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.

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