Virtu Financial LLC Has $1 Million Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Virtu Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 176.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,275 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,561 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $1,000,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Human Investing LLC bought a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Novartis during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $51,000. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on NVS. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "underweight" rating on the stock. Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, HSBC lowered shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "reduce" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $123.38.

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Novartis Trading Up 1.2 %

NVS stock traded up $1.32 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $111.46. 1,467,063 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,473,854. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $92.35 and a 52-week high of $120.92. The stock's fifty day moving average is $107.35 and its 200-day moving average is $107.26. The company has a market cap of $227.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

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 of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's dividend payout ratio is 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.