Novartis (NYSE:NVS) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – What’s Next?

Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Friday . Approximately 2,591,157 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 67% from the previous session’s volume of 1,547,547 shares.The stock last traded at $106.28 and had previously closed at $103.40.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Novartis Trading Up 4.2 %

The company has a market capitalization of $220.14 billion, a PE ratio of 18.31, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $108.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $106.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted 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%. As a group, 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 declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.69%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in Novartis by 35.6% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 423,142 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,176,000 after acquiring an additional 111,066 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in 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 last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Novartis by 20.1% during 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. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter worth approximately $239,000. Finally, Arvest Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in Novartis during the 3rd quarter valued at $2,674,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

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.