Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Acquired by Quantbot Technologies LP

Quantbot Technologies LP grew its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 87.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 74,871 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 34,895 shares during the quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP's holdings in Novartis were worth $7,286,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novartis during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Human Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new position in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on NVS. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "underweight" rating on the stock. Erste Group Bank restated a "hold" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Novartis presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $123.38.

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Novartis Stock Performance

NYSE:NVS traded up $0.01 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $112.23. The stock had a trading volume of 3,957,921 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,436,012. The stock has a market cap of $229.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. Novartis AG has a 12-month low of $92.35 and a 12-month high of $120.92. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $105.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $107.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

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

Novartis 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.