Net Worth Advisory Group Reduces Stock Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Net Worth Advisory Group decreased its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 7,051 shares of the company’s stock after selling 99 shares during the quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group’s holdings in Novartis were worth $686,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 26.9% in the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 89,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,668,000 after purchasing an additional 18,894 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 20.1% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,001,000 after purchasing an additional 5,164 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its holdings in shares of 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. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $239,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 13.7% in the 3rd 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 during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NVS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. HSBC cut Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Novartis currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.38.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NVS stock opened at $115.49 on Tuesday. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.35 and a twelve month high of $120.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $236.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $104.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $107.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS 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.