Yousif Capital Management LLC Grows Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 6.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 40,148 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,500 shares during the quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $4,054,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Operose Advisors LLC bought a new position in Novartis in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its stake in Novartis by 480.0% in the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 348 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Novartis in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Adirondack Trust Co. boosted its stake in Novartis by 69.1% in the 3rd quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 389 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the period. 13.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novartis Stock Performance

NYSE:NVS opened at $97.44 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $97.87 and its 200 day moving average is $98.99. Novartis AG has a fifty-two week low of $92.19 and a fifty-two week high of $108.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $199.17 billion, a PE ratio of 13.15, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.90.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released 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 net margin of 31.33% and a return on equity of 32.15%. The company had revenue of $11.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.51 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 7.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a $3.7772 dividend. This is a positive change from Novartis’s previous annual dividend of $3.47. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a yield of 3.1%. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $114.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Novartis from $114.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday.

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.