Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC Buys 403 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 12,547 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 403 shares during the quarter. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $1,221,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Human Investing LLC bought a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Novartis during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth about $51,000. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on NVS. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, HSBC lowered shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Novartis currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $123.38.

Novartis Trading Up 2.9 %

Shares of NVS opened at $112.24 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $105.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.54. The company has a market capitalization of $229.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84. Novartis AG has a 1-year low of $92.35 and a 1-year high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.69%.

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.