Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Position Increased by Highland Capital Management LLC

Highland Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 11,682 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $1,180,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. McCarthy Grittinger Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Novartis in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Operose Advisors LLC bought a new position in Novartis in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Novartis by 118.1% in the 2nd quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC now owns 301 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on NVS. HSBC downgraded shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 18th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $114.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Friday, February 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $114.00 price target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, December 6th. They issued a “strong-buy” rating for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Novartis currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $104.33.

Novartis Price Performance

NVS stock opened at $95.88 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Novartis AG has a one year low of $89.76 and a one year high of $108.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $203.23 billion, a PE ratio of 13.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.54. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $102.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $99.80.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.64 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $11.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.69 billion. Novartis had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 29.90%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.51 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 7.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were given a $3.7772 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 3.1%. This is a positive change from Novartis’s previous annual dividend of $3.47. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio is 34.26%.

Novartis Company Profile

Novartis AG researches, develops, manufactures, and markets healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. It 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.