Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Purchased by Cetera Investment Advisers

Cetera Investment Advisers grew its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 10.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 125,831 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 11,946 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in Novartis were worth $12,245,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC increased its position in Novartis by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 12,884 shares of the company's stock worth $1,254,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its stake in shares of Novartis by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 16,682 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,623,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Meridian Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Novartis by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,161 shares of the company's stock valued at $405,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Angeles Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Novartis by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,249 shares of the company's stock valued at $316,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP raised its holdings in shares of Novartis by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 6,107 shares of the company's stock valued at $594,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on NVS shares. Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "underweight" rating on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $123.38.

Novartis Stock Performance

NYSE NVS traded down $1.65 on Wednesday, reaching $105.18. The stock had a trading volume of 2,054,547 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,577,151. Novartis AG has a 12-month low of $96.06 and a 12-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 business's 50-day moving average price is $110.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $105.81. The stock has a market cap of $222.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.60.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.28 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 analysts' expectations of $12.92 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.80 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.47%.

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.