NorthRock Partners LLC Increases Stock Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

NorthRock Partners LLC boosted its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 11.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,121 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $206,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp purchased a new position in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $993,000. Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $991,000. Logan Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 545 shares in the last quarter. Kahn Brothers Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 20.5% during the fourth quarter. Kahn Brothers Group Inc. now owns 21,181 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,061,000 after acquiring an additional 3,600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Graham Capital Management L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,690,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novartis Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of Novartis stock opened at $109.57 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $231.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.60. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $109.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $105.71. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $96.06 and a 52-week high of $120.92. 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 (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $13.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.92 billion. Novartis had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.80 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s payout ratio is currently 40.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on NVS shares. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating on the stock. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Novartis has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.