Altrius Capital Management Inc Grows Stock Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Altrius Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 77,783 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,345 shares during the period. Novartis makes up approximately 2.0% of Altrius Capital Management Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Altrius Capital Management Inc’s holdings in Novartis were worth $7,569,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Novartis by 26.9% in the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 89,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,668,000 after buying an additional 18,894 shares during the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its position 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 period. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 135.5% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at $239,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Novartis by 13.7% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 157,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,088,000 after acquiring an additional 18,990 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NVS opened at $108.91 on Friday. Novartis AG has a fifty-two week low of $92.35 and a fifty-two week high of $120.92. The company’s 50-day moving average is $102.36 and its 200 day moving average is $108.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company has a market capitalization of $222.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58.

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 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on NVS shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating for the company. HSBC downgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average 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.