Intellectus Partners LLC Decreases Stock Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Intellectus Partners LLC lessened its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,161 shares of the company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Intellectus Partners LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $405,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Human Investing LLC purchased a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Novartis in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Performance

NVS stock opened at $115.60 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm has a market cap of $236.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. Novartis AG has a 12-month low of $92.35 and a 12-month high of $120.92. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $104.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.95.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NVS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. Finally, Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.