Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Position Raised by Smartleaf Asset Management LLC

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 85.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,117 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,663 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $985,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Maia Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 37.8% in the fourth quarter. Maia Wealth LLC now owns 3,264 shares of the company’s stock valued at $337,000 after buying an additional 896 shares during the period. Capital Wealth Planning LLC raised its position in Novartis by 8.8% in the fourth quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 38,590 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,755,000 after acquiring an additional 3,120 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in Novartis by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 248,540 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,186,000 after acquiring an additional 5,913 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 17.4% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,002,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $194,908,000 after purchasing an additional 296,950 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $869,000. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE NVS opened at $109.06 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Novartis AG has a one year low of $92.35 and a one year high of $120.92. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $102.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $108.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $222.91 billion, a PE ratio of 18.55, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. As a group, analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on NVS. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. HSBC downgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $123.38.

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.