650 Shares in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Bought by Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp

Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $63,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Novartis by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 157,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,088,000 after acquiring an additional 18,990 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 2,218.9% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,229 shares of the company’s stock worth $141,000 after purchasing an additional 1,176 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 5.5% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,353,412 shares of the company’s stock worth $155,669,000 after purchasing an additional 70,314 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 6.4% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 25,890 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,978,000 after purchasing an additional 1,552 shares during the period. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. grew its position in Novartis by 156,100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,562 shares of the company’s stock valued at $180,000 after buying an additional 1,561 shares during the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. HSBC cut Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $123.38.

Novartis Stock Performance

NVS opened at $111.46 on Friday. Novartis AG has a 1-year low of $92.35 and a 1-year high of $120.92. The stock 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 stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $107.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) 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 return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.