National Bank of Canada FI Acquires 12,009 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

National Bank of Canada FI raised its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 10.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 128,907 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,009 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI's holdings in Novartis were worth $12,544,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 12,884 shares of the company's stock worth $1,254,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its holdings in Novartis by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 16,682 shares of the company's stock worth $1,623,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Novartis by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,161 shares of the company's stock worth $405,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Novartis by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,249 shares of the company's stock valued at $316,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP raised its position in shares of Novartis by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 6,107 shares of the company's stock valued at $594,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Novartis Trading Down 2.8 %

Shares of Novartis stock traded down $2.90 during trading on Thursday, hitting $100.95. The stock had a trading volume of 1,425,068 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,291,141. 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 company has a market capitalization of $206.35 billion, a PE ratio of 17.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $92.35 and a 1 year high of $120.92. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $108.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $106.59.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last released 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 return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. On average, research analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "underweight" rating on the stock. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note 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 one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $123.38.

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.