Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Acquired by Private Advisor Group LLC

Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 40,522 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,466 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $3,943,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Human Investing LLC purchased a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 503.8% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 320 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Price Performance

Novartis stock opened at $109.42 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $101.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $108.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $92.35 and a 1 year high of $120.92. The company has a market capitalization of $223.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on NVS shares. HSBC downgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Three 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 data from MarketBeat, Novartis presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.38.

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.