J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Sells 930 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lessened its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 14.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,380 shares of the company’s stock after selling 930 shares during the quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $523,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Novartis during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in Novartis by 503.8% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 320 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $69,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NVS stock opened at $107.06 on Thursday. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $92.35 and a 52-week high of $120.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $218.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.58. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $100.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $108.16.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.