Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Position Increased by TIAA Trust National Association

TIAA Trust National Association boosted its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 7.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,875 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 569 shares during the quarter. TIAA Trust National Association’s holdings in Novartis were worth $766,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Novartis by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 12,884 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,254,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its position in Novartis by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 16,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,623,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,161 shares of the company’s stock valued at $405,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. Angeles Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,249 shares of the company’s stock valued at $316,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP raised its holdings in shares of Novartis by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 6,107 shares of the company’s stock valued at $594,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on NVS. HSBC lowered Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $123.38.

Novartis Stock Up 1.2 %

NVS stock opened at $111.46 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The firm has a market cap of $227.82 billion, a PE ratio of 18.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. Novartis AG has a 12 month low of $92.35 and a 12 month high of $120.92. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $107.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $107.29.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. Equities research analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 is presently 42.69%.

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.