Aptus Capital Advisors LLC Raises Stock Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 252.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,026 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,479 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $1,559,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Novartis by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 12,884 shares of the company's stock worth $1,254,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its holdings in Novartis by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 16,682 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,623,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Novartis by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,161 shares of the company's stock valued at $405,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Novartis by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,249 shares of the company's stock worth $316,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 6,107 shares of the company's stock valued at $594,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of Novartis stock opened at $113.09 on Tuesday. 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 market capitalization of $238.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.60. The business has a 50-day moving average of $110.23 and a 200 day moving average of $105.95. Novartis AG has a 12 month low of $96.06 and a 12 month high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last announced 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 net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. The firm had revenue of $13.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.92 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.80 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.47%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NVS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "underweight" rating for the company. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three equities 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, Novartis has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $123.38.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NVS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.