Kiker Wealth Management LLC Invests $1.51 Million in Novartis AG $NVS

Kiker Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 11,749 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,507,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in NVS. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Novartis by 1.7% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,763 shares of the company’s stock valued at $611,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK grew its stake in shares of Novartis by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 2,027 shares of the company’s stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Glenview Trust co increased its holdings in shares of Novartis by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 3,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $460,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Essex Savings Bank lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Essex Savings Bank now owns 4,611 shares of the company’s stock valued at $558,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in Novartis by 5.8% during the second quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,541 shares of the company’s stock valued at $186,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. 13.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on NVS shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, December 29th. Bank of America raised Novartis from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 3rd. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Novartis from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $119.75.

Novartis Stock Performance

NVS opened at $141.85 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $299.64 billion, a PE ratio of 19.38, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.51. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $97.39 and a twelve month high of $143.49. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $133.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $127.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.26 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $14.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.70 billion. Novartis had a net margin of 26.49% and a return on equity of 41.21%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.06 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis 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.