Hutner Capital Management Inc. Purchases 3,324 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Hutner Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 129.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,894 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,324 shares during the quarter. Hutner Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $574,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 12,884 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,254,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its position in shares of Novartis by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 16,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,623,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Novartis by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,161 shares of the company’s stock worth $405,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. Angeles Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 6,107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $594,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research 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. BNP Paribas raised shares of Novartis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $123.38.

Novartis Trading Down 2.0 %

Shares of Novartis stock opened at $111.23 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $106.14. The firm has a market cap of $234.96 billion, a PE ratio of 18.92, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $96.06 and a 1 year high of $120.92. 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 (NYSE:NVS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $13.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.92 billion. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. The firm’s revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.80 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 44.05%.

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.