Bradyco Inc. Takes Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Bradyco Inc. acquired a new position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 7,191 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $700,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 26.9% in the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 89,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,668,000 after purchasing an additional 18,894 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its position in Novartis by 20.1% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,001,000 after acquiring an additional 5,164 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP raised its position in Novartis by 135.5% in the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 39,976 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,598,000 after acquiring an additional 22,998 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at $239,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 13.7% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 157,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,088,000 after purchasing an additional 18,990 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on NVS shares. StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. HSBC lowered shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Novartis currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.38.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NVS opened at $113.00 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $103.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $108.02. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $92.35 and a 52-week high of $120.92. The company has a market cap of $230.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 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, analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.