Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Acquired by Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 87.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,107 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 18,242 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $3,949,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in Novartis by 18.3% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,556,539 shares of the company's stock worth $136,587,000 after buying an additional 240,710 shares in the last quarter. Dakota Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 4,869 shares of the company's stock valued at $427,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Novartis by 4.5% in the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 95,477 shares of the company's stock worth $8,379,000 after buying an additional 4,122 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation N.A. raised its holdings in shares of Novartis by 22.8% in the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 3,528 shares of the company's stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 655 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Novartis by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 38,281 shares of the company's stock worth $3,358,000 after purchasing an additional 953 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of Novartis stock traded down $0.04 on Thursday, hitting $94.34. 1,623,263 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,482,620. The stock has a market capitalization of $199.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $99.20 and a 200 day moving average price of $99.32. Novartis AG has a 1-year low of $92.19 and a 1-year high of $108.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.64 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $11.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.69 billion. Novartis had a net margin of 29.83% and a return on equity of 29.90%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.51 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 7.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a dividend of $3.7772 per share. This is an increase from Novartis's previous annual dividend of $3.47. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a dividend yield of 3.1%. Novartis's dividend payout ratio is 34.12%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NVS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $114.00 price objective for the company. HSBC lowered Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, December 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Novartis in a research note on Friday, February 23rd. They set a "market perform" rating and a $114.00 price objective for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $104.33.

Novartis Company Profile

Novartis AG researches, develops, manufactures, and markets healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. It 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.