Lido Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Lido Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 39.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,178 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,581 shares during the quarter. Lido Advisors LLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $1,574,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of NVS. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth $88,339,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Novartis by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,132,591 shares of the company's stock valued at $207,522,000 after buying an additional 399,862 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its stake 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 worth $259,706,000 after acquiring an additional 368,171 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Novartis by 17.4% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,002,959 shares of the company's stock valued at $194,908,000 after acquiring an additional 296,950 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 128.1% in the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 528,682 shares of the company's stock valued at $51,554,000 after purchasing an additional 296,890 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NVS stock traded down $2.35 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $110.73. The company had a trading volume of 1,606,201 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,560,766. Novartis AG has a 12-month low of $96.06 and a 12-month high of $120.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $233.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.82, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.60. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $110.23 and a 200-day moving average of $105.95.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.16. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. The company had revenue of $13.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.92 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.80 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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