Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 16.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,668,849 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 368,171 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned approximately 0.13% of Novartis worth $259,706,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of NVS. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,586 shares of the company's stock worth $446,000 after purchasing an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 18.3% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 239,742 shares of the company's stock valued at $23,329,000 after buying an additional 37,016 shares during the last quarter. Certior Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $320,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Novartis by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 18,100 shares of the company's stock worth $1,761,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in Novartis by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 10,070 shares of the company's stock valued at $980,000 after acquiring an additional 645 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company's stock.
Novartis Price Performance
Shares of NYSE NVS traded up $4.14 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $107.54. The company had a trading volume of 4,745,829 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,553,079. Novartis AG has a one year low of $92.35 and a one year high of $120.92. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $108.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $106.38. 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 firm 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.
Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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, research analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Novartis Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.69%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on NVS shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Barclays restated an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "underweight" rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group reiterated 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 issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $123.38.
Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on NVS
About Novartis
(
Free Report)
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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