John G Ullman & Associates Inc. Has $13.56 Million Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 139,390 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,076 shares during the quarter. Novartis accounts for 2.0% of John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $13,564,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Novartis by 17.4% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,002,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $194,908,000 after purchasing an additional 296,950 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its position in Novartis by 5.5% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,353,412 shares of the company’s stock worth $155,669,000 after purchasing an additional 70,314 shares during the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC boosted its position in Novartis by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 1,161,139 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,990,000 after purchasing an additional 52,044 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in Novartis by 2.9% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 938,844 shares of the company’s stock worth $107,986,000 after purchasing an additional 26,317 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in Novartis by 18.7% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 780,980 shares of the company’s stock worth $90,289,000 after purchasing an additional 123,077 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Performance

NYSE:NVS opened at $109.06 on Friday. 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 52-week low of $92.35 and a 52-week high of $120.92. The firm has a market cap of $222.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.55, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58. The business’s fifty day moving average is $102.60 and its 200 day moving average is $108.04.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on NVS. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, HSBC cut Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.38.

Novartis Company 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.