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

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

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. HM Payson & Co. boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 28.4% in the 4th quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 4,062 shares of the company’s stock worth $395,000 after buying an additional 899 shares in the last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter worth about $195,000. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Novartis by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,773 shares of the company’s stock valued at $464,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Haven Private LLC acquired a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at about $286,000. Finally, Bradyco Inc. acquired a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at about $700,000. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novartis Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE:NVS opened at $115.60 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $92.35 and a 1 year high of $120.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $236.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.66, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $104.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $107.95.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. Equities analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on NVS. HSBC downgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating for the company. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus 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.