Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC Acquires 375 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 10.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,861 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the period. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $376,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Advisors Preferred LLC purchased a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $127,000. Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,845 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,153,000 after buying an additional 926 shares in the last quarter. Mezzasalma Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 31.6% during the fourth quarter. Mezzasalma Advisors LLC now owns 6,901 shares of the company’s stock worth $672,000 after acquiring an additional 1,657 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at $69,000. Finally, Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Novartis by 8.5% in the 4th quarter. Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,619 shares of the company’s stock valued at $644,000 after acquiring an additional 521 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Performance

NYSE NVS opened at $106.81 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $218.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $100.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $108.39. Novartis AG has a fifty-two week low of $92.35 and a fifty-two week high of $120.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.04.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on NVS. StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price 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. Finally, HSBC downgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target 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.