Tucker Asset Management LLC Boosts Stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Tucker Asset Management LLC increased its position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 11,352.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,405 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,384 shares during the quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $234,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Novartis by 17.4% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,002,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $194,908,000 after buying an additional 296,950 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its stake in Novartis by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,353,412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $155,669,000 after purchasing an additional 70,314 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Novartis by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 1,161,139 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,990,000 after purchasing an additional 52,044 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $88,339,000. Finally, Truist Financial Corp lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 771,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,090,000 after purchasing an additional 27,092 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on NVS. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. HSBC cut Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $123.38.

Novartis Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NVS stock opened at $112.69 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $107.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $107.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $230.34 billion, a PE ratio of 19.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. Novartis AG has a fifty-two week low of $92.35 and a fifty-two week 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.

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

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s payout ratio is 42.69%.

Novartis Company 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.