Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Acquired by Invesco Ltd.

Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 18.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 239,742 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 37,016 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd.'s holdings in Novartis were worth $23,329,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Novartis by 35.6% during 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 during the last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake 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 worth $8,668,000 after buying an additional 18,894 shares during the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of Novartis by 20.1% during the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,001,000 after acquiring an additional 5,164 shares during the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in Novartis in the fourth quarter worth $239,000. Finally, Arvest Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in Novartis during the third quarter worth about $2,674,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Novartis Stock Performance

NYSE:NVS traded up $1.03 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $111.16. 864,145 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,546,106. The firm has a market cap of $234.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. Novartis AG has a one year low of $96.06 and a one year high of $120.92. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $109.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $106.26. 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 (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. Research analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's payout ratio is presently 44.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NVS has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "underweight" rating for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Novartis 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.