Elser Financial Planning Inc Acquires Shares of 8,978 Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Elser Financial Planning Inc purchased a new position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 8,978 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $874,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 503.8% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 320 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $69,000. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Trading Down 0.8 %

NVS opened at $106.17 on Monday. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.35 and a twelve month high of $120.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a fifty day moving average of $100.32 and a 200-day moving average of $108.40. The stock has a market cap of $217.00 billion, a PE ratio of 18.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.42 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on NVS shares. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. HSBC downgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average 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.