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

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 24.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 253,467 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 49,957 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $24,665,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of NVS. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Novartis during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NVS 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. Novartis AG has a 52 week low of $92.35 and a 52 week high of $120.92. The firm has a market cap of $223.10 billion, a PE ratio of 18.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $105.36 and its 200-day moving average is $107.59.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly 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 return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. Sell-side analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given 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 equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. HSBC cut shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Novartis currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $123.38.

About Novartis

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.