Aquatic Capital Management LLC Increases Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Aquatic Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 84,920 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 3,920 shares during the quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $8,264,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Human Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in Novartis in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at $47,000. Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth $51,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Novartis in the 4th quarter worth about $55,000. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Novartis Price Performance

NYSE NVS traded up $2.80 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $114.13. 1,545,616 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,556,112. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $110.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $106.14. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $96.06 and a 1 year high of $120.92. 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 company has a market cap of $241.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56.

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, topping 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 analyst estimates of $12.92 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.80 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 44.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on NVS. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. BNP Paribas raised Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Three research 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Novartis presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.