Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Acquired by Knightsbridge Asset Management LLC

Knightsbridge Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 13.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,851 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 457 shares during the quarter. Knightsbridge Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $375,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NVS. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Novartis by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,183,855 shares of the company’s stock valued at $796,372,000 after purchasing an additional 90,823 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 16.0% during the fourth 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 period. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake 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 during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC lifted its holdings 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 period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at about $88,339,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.38.

Novartis Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of Novartis stock opened at $111.16 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $234.82 billion, a PE ratio of 18.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $109.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $106.24. Novartis AG has a 52 week low of $96.06 and a 52 week 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.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued 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%.

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.