Graham Capital Management L.P. Makes New $4.69 Million Investment in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Graham Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 48,193 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,690,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Novartis by 35.6% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 423,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,176,000 after purchasing an additional 111,066 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Novartis by 26.9% in the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 89,074 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,668,000 after acquiring an additional 18,894 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter worth $239,000. Agate Pass Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter worth $702,000. Finally, Flywheel Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter worth $272,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on NVS. BNP Paribas upgraded Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "underweight" rating on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. 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 two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $123.38.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NVS stock traded down $1.66 on Tuesday, hitting $107.29. The company had a trading volume of 315,118 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,569,406. The firm has a market cap of $226.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $110.19 and a 200-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. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $96.06 and a twelve month high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $13.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.92 billion. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.80 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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 was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's dividend payout ratio is currently 40.47%.

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.