Novartis (NYSE:NVS) Stock Rating Upgraded by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports.

Several other research analysts have also commented on NVS. StockNews.com lowered shares of Novartis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. HSBC cut Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $123.38.

Novartis Stock Up 4.1 %

Novartis stock opened at $109.84 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market cap of $224.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a fifty day moving average of $100.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $108.41. Novartis has a twelve month low of $92.35 and a twelve month high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.79% and a net margin of 23.56%. On average, analysts forecast that Novartis will post 8.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Novartis

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake 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 worth $8,668,000 after acquiring an additional 18,894 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Novartis by 115.3% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 231,792 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,797,000 after acquiring an additional 124,111 shares in 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 valued at $3,001,000 after acquiring an additional 5,164 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP raised its holdings in Novartis by 135.5% in the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 39,976 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,598,000 after purchasing an additional 22,998 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 18,990 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

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.