Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Purchases 5,217 Shares of Novartis AG $NVS

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. boosted its position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 62.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,631 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,217 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $1,650,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. GFG Capital LLC bought a new position in Novartis in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Barrett & Company Inc. purchased a new stake in Novartis in the second quarter worth $31,000. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 66.0% during the second quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Investment Management Corp VA ADV boosted its stake in shares of Novartis by 172.2% during the first quarter. Investment Management Corp VA ADV now owns 313 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Price Performance

NYSE NVS opened at $126.43 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.88. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $127.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $120.80. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $96.06 and a 52-week high of $133.55. The company has a market cap of $267.06 billion, a PE ratio of 17.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.60.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.26 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $13.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.70 billion. Novartis had a return on equity of 41.21% and a net margin of 26.49%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.06 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on NVS shares. HC Wainwright cut shares of Novartis to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Wall Street Zen cut Novartis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, October 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $122.33.

Novartis 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.