Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. Purchases Shares of 3,640 Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. acquired a new position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $354,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Human Investing LLC bought a new stake in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at $51,000. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on NVS shares. 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. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating on the stock. HSBC lowered Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.38.

Novartis Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of NVS stock opened at $111.46 on Friday. Novartis AG has a 12-month low of $92.35 and a 12-month high of $120.92. The company has a market capitalization of $227.82 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 price of $107.62 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $107.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

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

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s payout ratio is presently 42.69%.

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.