Kennedy Capital Management LLC Buys New Shares in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Kennedy Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 15,840 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,541,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Human Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in Novartis in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at $47,000. Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter worth about $55,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "underweight" rating on the stock. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 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 two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $123.38.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NVS traded up $1.11 on Friday, hitting $110.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,577,944 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,557,904. The company has a market capitalization of $226.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04. Novartis AG has a 12 month low of $94.72 and a 12 month high of $120.92. The stock's 50-day moving average is $109.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $106.22.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 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 paid a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date 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.