Whittier Trust Co. Increases Stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Whittier Trust Co. grew its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 10.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 52,678 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 5,073 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co.'s holdings in Novartis were worth $5,126,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NVS. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth about $88,339,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 17.4% during the 4th 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. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Novartis by 128.1% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 528,682 shares of the company's stock worth $51,554,000 after buying an additional 296,890 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Novartis in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,063,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at $225,000. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on NVS. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "underweight" rating for the company. Barclays reissued an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. HSBC cut shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "reduce" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. 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 one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $123.38.

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Novartis Price Performance

Novartis stock traded down $0.78 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $110.31. 2,577,832 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,474,392. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04. Novartis AG has a one year low of $92.35 and a one year high of $120.92. The stock has a market cap of $225.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $106.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $107.29.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, equities analysts predict 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. Stockholders 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.