JPMorgan Chase & Co. Purchases 111,066 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 35.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 423,142 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 111,066 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s holdings in Novartis were worth $41,176,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Human Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth $51,000. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Stock Performance

NVS stock traded up $4.14 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $107.54. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,745,829 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,555,272. The stock has a market cap of $219.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.29, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $108.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $106.44. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $92.35 and a 1 year high of $120.92.

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

Novartis Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on NVS shares. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Novartis in a 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. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average 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.