Marshall Wace LLP Makes New $8.63 Million Investment in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 88,666 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,628,000.

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

Novartis Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of NVS opened at $111.38 on Wednesday. Novartis AG has a one year low of $96.06 and a one year high of $120.92. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $109.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $106.23. 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 has a market capitalization of $227.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on NVS shares. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "underweight" rating on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $123.38.

About Novartis

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.

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