Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. Acquires 127 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,262 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $733,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Novartis by 21.6% during the 4th quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,904 shares of the company’s stock valued at $596,000 after acquiring an additional 1,050 shares during the last quarter. Syon Capital LLC acquired a new position in Novartis during the third quarter valued at approximately $6,568,000. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Novartis by 368.3% in the fourth quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 20,251 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,045,000 after purchasing an additional 15,927 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 30.8% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 247,801 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,021,000 after buying an additional 58,395 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mather Group LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 7,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $791,000 after buying an additional 580 shares during the period. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Price Performance

NYSE NVS opened at $93.19 on Wednesday. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.19 and a twelve month high of $108.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $197.53 billion, a PE ratio of 12.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.54. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $98.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $99.12.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 29.90% and a net margin of 29.83%. The business had revenue of $11.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.69 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.51 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 7.17 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a dividend of $3.7772 per share. This represents a yield of 3.1%. This is a positive change from Novartis’s previous annual dividend of $3.47. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. Novartis’s payout ratio is currently 33.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on NVS. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Friday, February 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $114.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $114.00 price objective on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $104.33.

Novartis Company Profile

Novartis AG researches, develops, manufactures, and markets healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. It 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.