Novartis (NYSE:NVS) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $110.77, but opened at $114.35. Novartis shares last traded at $113.39, with a volume of 399,463 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on NVS shares. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating on the stock. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Novartis currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.38.

Novartis Trading Up 2.2 %

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $108.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $107.09. 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 company has a market cap of $231.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.69%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of NVS. Human Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Novartis

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.