Sandoz Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Sandoz Inc. Investment Savings Plan
Princeton, NJManufacturing744 active participantsPlan year 2024
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$25,238Employer $ per active participant
$21,555Employee $ saved per active participant
0.01%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$588.0MNet plan assets, end of year
$331,616Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity50.0 / 50100th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost24.6 / 2599th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving15.0 / 15100th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features3 / 10Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-10 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score83 / 100 · Grade A
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Manufacturing plans with 500–2,499 active participants (2,376 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 100th |
| Lower admin cost | 99th |
| Employee saving | 100th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 59% |
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Red flags from the filing
Benefits not paid when due: the plan reported failing to pay some benefits on time.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Sandoz put in about $25,238 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($2,320). Contribute at least enough to collect the full match. Skipping it leaves part of your pay on the table.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Fund expense ratios aren't in the filing. Look them up in your 404(a)(5) fee disclosure and favor low-cost index or target-date funds.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $18,777,075 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $16,037,011 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $1,144,895 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $37,337 |
| Contract administrator fees | $1,200 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $56,627 |
| Benefits paid out | $78,077,811 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $0 / $588.0M |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 811 / 677 |
| Participants with account balances | 1,773 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Not reported |
| Auditor | Cohnreznick, LLP |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Fidelity Investments Institutional | −$19,290 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20260219145148NAL0009897555001, received 2026-02-19, EIN 38-1658363, plan #002, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.