Novartis (NYSE:NVS) Upgraded at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis (NYSE:NVS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on NVS. HSBC lowered shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com downgraded Novartis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Novartis currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.38.

Novartis Stock Down 2.6 %

Shares of NYSE:NVS opened at $106.95 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.11. Novartis has a 52-week low of $92.35 and a 52-week high of $120.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $218.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.58. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $100.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $108.42.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.79% and a net margin of 23.56%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Novartis will post 8.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Novartis

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 18,894 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in Novartis by 115.3% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 231,792 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,797,000 after buying an additional 124,111 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its position in Novartis by 20.1% during the fourth 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 during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its holdings in Novartis by 135.5% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake 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 worth $18,088,000 after acquiring an additional 18,990 shares during the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.