Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. Acquires 2,635 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 23.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,721 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,635 shares during the period. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Novartis were worth $1,335,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Scotia Capital Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Scotia Capital Inc. now owns 46,747 shares of the company's stock worth $4,550,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. lifted its holdings in Novartis by 7.9% during the 4th quarter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. now owns 3,952 shares of the company's stock valued at $385,000 after buying an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,668,849 shares of the company's stock valued at $259,706,000 after buying an additional 368,171 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in Novartis by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 4,586 shares of the company's stock valued at $446,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Novartis by 18.3% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 239,742 shares of the company's stock worth $23,329,000 after buying an additional 37,016 shares during the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NVS traded up $0.16 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $109.62. The company's stock had a trading volume of 990,605 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,554,286. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84. Novartis AG has a fifty-two week low of $92.35 and a fifty-two week high of $120.92. The company has a market capitalization of $224.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $108.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $106.33.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS 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 was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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