Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Boosts Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 24.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 253,467 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 49,957 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $24,665,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Centaurus Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 1.7% during the third quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 5,728 shares of the company's stock worth $659,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Novartis by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 12,884 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,254,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake in Novartis by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 16,682 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,623,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC grew 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 acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Angeles Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,249 shares of the company's stock worth $316,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, HSBC downgraded Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "reduce" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three equities 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 given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $123.38.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NVS traded up $1.79 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $113.35. 5,885,645 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,458,279. The stock has a market cap of $231.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.28, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.35 and a twelve month high of $120.92. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $106.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $107.50.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (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, research analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's dividend payout ratio is presently 42.69%.

Novartis Company 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.