Alliancebernstein L.P. Increases Stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 34.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 47,158 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,184 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P.'s holdings in Novartis were worth $4,589,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Walled Lake Planning & Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Novartis by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Walled Lake Planning & Wealth Management LLC now owns 52,399 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,099,000 after purchasing an additional 604 shares in the last quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at $140,000. RWA Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Novartis by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,565 shares of the company's stock valued at $931,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Tucker Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Novartis by 11,352.4% during the 4th quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC now owns 2,405 shares of the company's stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 2,384 shares during the period. Finally, Intrust Bank NA raised its position in Novartis by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 10,913 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,062,000 after purchasing an additional 265 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Stock Performance

NVS traded up $1.33 during trading on Thursday, hitting $110.91. The stock had a trading volume of 1,036,529 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,555,407. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.35 and a twelve month 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. The company's 50-day moving average price is $109.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $106.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $226.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.87, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NVS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "underweight" rating for the company. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. BNP Paribas raised Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $123.38.

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.