16,074 Shares in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Purchased by Altshuler Shaham Ltd

Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 16,074 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,623,000. Novartis makes up approximately 0.1% of Altshuler Shaham Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. now owns 2,072 shares of the company’s stock valued at $209,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 3,641 shares of the company’s stock worth $368,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. Optimum Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 23.3% during the fourth quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 530 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC grew its stake in shares of Novartis by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC now owns 33,062 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,338,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Means Investment CO. Inc. raised its stake in Novartis by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Means Investment CO. Inc. now owns 8,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $815,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Trading Up 0.6 %

Novartis stock traded up $0.61 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $100.21. The stock had a trading volume of 1,384,390 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,543,380. The stock has a market cap of $204.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $97.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $99.07. Novartis AG has a one year low of $92.19 and a one year high of $108.78.

Novartis Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a dividend of $3.7772 per share. 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%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley began 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 for the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Novartis from $114.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th.

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.