OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp Buys Shares of 10,200 Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp acquired a new position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 10,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $993,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Human Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Bellwether Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at about $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Novartis Price Performance

NYSE NVS traded up $0.52 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $112.80. The stock had a trading volume of 1,481,712 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,582,370. The firm's 50 day moving average is $109.78 and its 200 day moving average is $105.76. 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 $238.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.18, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.60. 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 earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 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 prior year, the business earned $1.80 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.47%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on NVS shares. StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "underweight" rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $123.38.

About Novartis

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.