Quantinno Capital Management LP Boosts Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 13.7% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 140,356 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 16,966 shares during the quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP’s holdings in Novartis were worth $13,658,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Parkwood LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at $11,482,000. NorthRock Partners LLC lifted its position in Novartis by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 2,121 shares of the company’s stock worth $206,000 after buying an additional 219 shares during the period. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp purchased a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth about $993,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth about $991,000. Finally, Logan Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Novartis by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 41,381 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,027,000 after buying an additional 545 shares during the period. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on NVS shares. BNP Paribas upgraded Novartis to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Novartis has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $123.38.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NVS opened at $105.18 on Thursday. Novartis AG has a fifty-two week low of $96.06 and a fifty-two week high of $120.92. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $109.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $105.81. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm has a market cap of $222.18 billion, a PE ratio of 17.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.60.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.16. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. The firm had revenue of $13.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.80 EPS. Novartis’s quarterly revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 payout ratio is 40.47%.

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.