Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Purchased by Davidson Trust Co.

Davidson Trust Co. raised its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 6.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,908 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 707 shares during the period. Davidson Trust Co.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $1,061,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings 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. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Novartis by 115.3% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 231,792 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,797,000 after buying an additional 124,111 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Novartis by 20.1% during the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,001,000 after buying an additional 5,164 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 22,998 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in Novartis in the fourth quarter worth approximately $239,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NVS opened at $105.43 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $215.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.93, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Novartis AG has a fifty-two week low of $92.35 and a fifty-two week high of $120.92. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $100.70 and its 200 day moving average price is $108.25.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (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%. On average, research analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $123.38.

Novartis 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.