Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Stock Holdings Raised by Townsquare Capital LLC

Townsquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 110.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 90,053 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 47,294 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $8,763,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $88,339,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in Novartis by 16.0% in 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 last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Novartis by 128.1% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 528,682 shares of the company's stock valued at $51,554,000 after buying an additional 296,890 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Novartis during the 4th quarter worth about $225,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NVS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Novartis has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $123.38.

Novartis Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:NVS traded up $1.11 during trading on Thursday, reaching $110.69. 1,577,944 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,557,459. Novartis AG has a 12-month low of $92.35 and a 12-month high of $120.92. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $109.08 and its 200 day moving average price 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 $226.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

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

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.