Investment Research Partners LLC Acquires New Stake in Novartis AG $NVS

Investment Research Partners LLC bought a new stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 6,119 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $745,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of NVS. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. South Plains Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 39.0% in the third quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 271 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Country Trust Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 47.4% in the third quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 342 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evelyn Partners Investment Management LLP grew its position in Novartis by 28.0% during the second quarter. Evelyn Partners Investment Management LLP now owns 448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. 13.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novartis Price Performance

NYSE NVS opened at $149.73 on Thursday. Novartis AG has a 12 month low of $97.71 and a 12 month high of $170.46. The stock has a market cap of $316.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.91, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.49. The company’s 50 day moving average is $155.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $13.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.85 billion. Novartis had a net margin of 25.65% and a return on equity of 40.53%. The company’s revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.98 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 11th were issued a $4.773 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 11th. This represents a yield of 306.0%. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Novartis from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Argus raised shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.80.

Novartis Company Profile

Novartis is a Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Basel that researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines and related health-care products. Formed through the 1996 merger of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz, Novartis operates globally and focuses on bringing therapeutics from discovery through clinical development to commercial markets worldwide.

The company’s activities center on innovative pharmaceuticals across several therapeutic areas, including oncology, immunology, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, neuroscience and ophthalmology, alongside capabilities in advanced therapies such as biologics, cell and gene therapies.