Stifel Financial Corp Acquires 2,369 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 221,396 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,369 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp's holdings in Novartis were worth $21,545,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,183,855 shares of the company's stock worth $796,372,000 after buying an additional 90,823 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in Novartis by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,668,849 shares of the company's stock worth $259,706,000 after purchasing an additional 368,171 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Novartis by 17.4% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,002,959 shares of the company's stock worth $194,908,000 after purchasing an additional 296,950 shares in the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 1,161,139 shares of the company's stock valued at $112,990,000 after purchasing an additional 52,044 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at about $88,339,000. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on NVS shares. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "underweight" rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. UBS Group reaffirmed 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Novartis has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $123.38.

Novartis Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NVS traded up $1.06 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $112.23. The stock had a trading volume of 2,213,607 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,544,101. The stock's 50 day moving average is $109.68 and its 200 day moving average is $106.16. The firm has a market cap of $237.08 billion, a PE ratio of 19.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. 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 1 year low of $96.06 and a 1 year high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's payout ratio is 44.05%.

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.