Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Has $24.67 Million Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 24.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 253,467 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 49,957 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $24,665,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Novartis by 17.4% in 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 during the period. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in Novartis by 5.5% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC grew its stake in Novartis by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 1,161,139 shares of the company’s stock valued at $112,990,000 after acquiring an additional 52,044 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $88,339,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in shares of Novartis by 18.7% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 780,980 shares of the company’s stock worth $90,289,000 after purchasing an additional 123,077 shares during the period. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Novartis Trading Up 0.0 %

Shares of NVS stock opened at $109.15 on Monday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $223.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.56, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $92.35 and a 52-week high of $120.92. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $105.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $107.59.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. Research analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on NVS shares. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. 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 issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Novartis presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.38.

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.