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

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

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 26.9% during the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 89,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,668,000 after buying an additional 18,894 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 20.1% during the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,001,000 after buying an additional 5,164 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 135.5% during the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 39,976 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,598,000 after buying an additional 22,998 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at about $239,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 157,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,088,000 after buying an additional 18,990 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novartis Stock Performance

NYSE:NVS opened at $115.49 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $92.35 and a 1 year high of $120.92. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $104.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $107.87. The company has a market cap of $236.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.64, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NVS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. HSBC cut Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating on the stock. Three equities 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Novartis has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.38.

Novartis Company 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.