Osterweis Capital Management Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Osterweis Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 3.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 84,782 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,872 shares during the period. Osterweis Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $8,250,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Novartis has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $123.38.

Novartis Price Performance

NYSE NVS opened at $109.66 on Thursday. 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 stock has a 50-day moving average of $109.08 and a 200 day moving average of $106.38. Novartis AG has a one year low of $92.35 and a one year high of $120.92. The company has a market capitalization of $224.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.65, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS 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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors 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 payout ratio is 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.