Novartis (NYSE:NVS) Given “Neutral” Rating at UBS Group

Novartis (NYSE:NVS)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating reiterated by equities research analysts at UBS Group in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports.

NVS has been the topic of several other research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Wednesday. They set an “underweight” rating on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. HSBC cut shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.38.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of Novartis stock opened at $106.98 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $218.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $100.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $108.34. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Novartis has a 1-year low of $92.35 and a 1-year high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its 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 return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. On average, equities analysts predict that Novartis will post 8.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Novartis

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NVS. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the third quarter worth $28,000. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of Novartis by 503.8% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 320 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares during the period. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.