Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Holdings Decreased by Hall Laurie J Trustee

Hall Laurie J Trustee lessened its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,215 shares of the company’s stock after selling 337 shares during the period. Hall Laurie J Trustee’s holdings in Novartis were worth $2,648,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in Novartis during the second quarter valued at about $64,610,000. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 343.5% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 657,903 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,652,000 after purchasing an additional 509,567 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,063,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Novartis by 15.7% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 1,706,009 shares of the company’s stock worth $196,225,000 after purchasing an additional 231,851 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new stake in Novartis during the second quarter valued at approximately $22,979,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of Novartis stock opened at $97.51 on Monday. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $92.35 and a 1 year high of $120.92. The company has a market cap of $199.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $100.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $109.01.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $12.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.62 billion. Novartis had a net margin of 35.96% and a return on equity of 34.80%. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.74 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 7.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NVS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, HSBC lowered Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $121.50.

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.