AlphaCentric Advisors LLC Invests $1.53 Million in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

AlphaCentric Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 15,719 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,530,000. Novartis comprises about 1.5% of AlphaCentric Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in NVS. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in Novartis by 503.8% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 320 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $61,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating for the company. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.38.

Novartis Trading Down 2.1 %

NVS stock opened at $105.43 on Monday. Novartis AG has a 1-year low of $92.35 and a 1-year high of $120.92. The firm has a market cap of $215.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58. The business’s 50 day moving average is $100.70 and its 200-day moving average is $108.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. Equities analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.