RD Lewis Holdings Inc. Makes New $816,000 Investment in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

RD Lewis Holdings Inc. acquired a new stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 7,676 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $816,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 17.4% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,002,959 shares of the company's stock valued at $194,908,000 after buying an additional 296,950 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Novartis by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,353,412 shares of the company's stock worth $155,669,000 after acquiring an additional 70,314 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Novartis by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 1,161,139 shares of the company's stock worth $112,990,000 after acquiring an additional 52,044 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $88,339,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in Novartis by 18.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 780,980 shares of the company's stock worth $90,289,000 after acquiring an additional 123,077 shares during the period. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Novartis Trading Down 1.0 %

NVS traded down $1.10 during trading on Friday, hitting $112.11. 3,595,371 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,470,923. The firm has a market capitalization of $229.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $106.67 and a 200 day moving average of $107.48. Novartis AG has a 12-month low of $92.35 and a 12-month high of $120.92.

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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, beating 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on NVS shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "underweight" rating on the stock. 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 note on Saturday, February 8th. HSBC cut shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "reduce" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.