Natixis Advisors L.P. Boosts Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Natixis Advisors L.P. increased its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 931,127 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,270 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $94,014,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Operose Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Novartis during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its holdings in Novartis by 480.0% during the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 348 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Novartis during the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Adirondack Trust Co. raised its position in shares of Novartis by 69.1% during the third quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 389 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Price Performance

NVS traded down $0.09 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $97.25. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,045,666 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,559,969. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $97.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $98.96. Novartis AG has a 12 month low of $92.19 and a 12 month high of $108.78. The stock has a market cap of $198.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.64 by ($0.11). Novartis had a return on equity of 32.15% and a net margin of 31.33%. The business had revenue of $11.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.51 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 7.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th were given a dividend of $3.7772 per share. This is a boost from Novartis’s previous annual dividend of $3.47. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a yield of 3.1%. Novartis’s payout ratio is 32.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NVS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Novartis from $114.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $114.00 price objective on the stock.

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.