Alliancebernstein L.P. Grows Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 34.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 47,158 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 12,184 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P.'s holdings in Novartis were worth $4,589,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NVS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Novartis by 35.6% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 423,142 shares of the company's stock worth $41,176,000 after acquiring an additional 111,066 shares in the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 26.9% during the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 89,074 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,668,000 after buying an additional 18,894 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its position in shares of Novartis by 20.1% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company's stock worth $3,001,000 after buying an additional 5,164 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at about $239,000. Finally, Arvest Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in Novartis during the third quarter worth about $2,674,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. BNP Paribas raised Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Barclays restated an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Novartis has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $123.38.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NVS traded up $1.11 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $110.69. The stock had a trading volume of 1,577,944 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,561,026. The firm has a market capitalization of $226.26 billion, a PE ratio of 18.83, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $109.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $106.33. Novartis AG has a 12 month low of $93.15 and a 12 month high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. Analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 is presently 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.