Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV Has $4.16 Million Stock Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV lessened its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 0.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 37,294 shares of the company’s stock after selling 206 shares during the period. Novartis makes up approximately 1.1% of Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV’s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest position. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV’s holdings in Novartis were worth $4,158,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Nexus Investment Management ULC acquired a new position in Novartis in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NVS has been the subject of several recent research reports. BNP Paribas raised Novartis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $123.38.

Novartis Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE NVS opened at $118.59 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $250.52 billion, a PE ratio of 20.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.59. Novartis AG has a one year low of $96.06 and a one year high of $120.92. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $110.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $106.78. 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 (NYSE:NVS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $13.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.92 billion. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. Novartis’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.80 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.