Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC Acquires 30,240 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 161.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 48,987 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 30,240 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $4,767,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Human Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new stake in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Clearstead Trust LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Novartis Stock Performance

NYSE NVS traded down $2.26 during trading on Thursday, reaching $111.23. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,090,247 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,554,966. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Novartis AG has a 12 month low of $96.06 and a 12 month high of $120.92. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $109.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $106.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $234.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. The firm had revenue of $13.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.80 EPS. The company's revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 44.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on NVS. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "underweight" rating on the stock. Barclays reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $123.38.

Novartis Company 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.