Novartis (NYSE:NVS) Sees Strong Trading Volume – Here’s Why

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Monday . Approximately 4,138,932 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 191% from the previous session’s volume of 1,422,813 shares.The stock last traded at $111.99 and had previously closed at $109.06.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on NVS shares. HSBC downgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $123.38.

Novartis Stock Up 2.9 %

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’s 50-day moving average is $105.36 and its 200 day moving average is $107.59. The stock has a market cap of $229.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53.

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

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 currently 42.69%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novartis

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Novartis by 26.9% in the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 89,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,668,000 after purchasing an additional 18,894 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Novartis by 20.1% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,001,000 after purchasing an additional 5,164 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its stake in shares of Novartis by 135.5% in the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 39,976 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,598,000 after purchasing an additional 22,998 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at $239,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Novartis by 13.7% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 157,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,088,000 after purchasing an additional 18,990 shares during the period. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.