MML Investors Services LLC Raises Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

MML Investors Services LLC lifted its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 15.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 148,532 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 19,331 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $14,454,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,183,855 shares of the company's stock worth $796,372,000 after buying an additional 90,823 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 16.0% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,668,849 shares of the company's stock valued at $259,706,000 after acquiring an additional 368,171 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Novartis by 17.4% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,002,959 shares of the company's stock valued at $194,908,000 after purchasing an additional 296,950 shares in the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC increased its position in Novartis by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 1,161,139 shares of the company's stock worth $112,990,000 after purchasing an additional 52,044 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at $88,339,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Novartis Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE NVS traded up $0.75 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $112.89. The company had a trading volume of 1,116,961 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,542,569. The stock has a market cap of $238.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. Novartis AG has a 52 week low of $96.06 and a 52 week high of $120.92. The business's 50-day moving average is $109.68 and its 200-day moving average is $106.10. 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 (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. Equities analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

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

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.