Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Has $988,000 Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC trimmed its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,158 shares of the company’s stock after selling 280 shares during the period. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $988,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 8.6% in the fourth quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $656,000 after acquiring an additional 534 shares during the period. Financial & Tax Architects LLC lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. Financial & Tax Architects LLC now owns 5,522 shares of the company’s stock worth $537,000 after purchasing an additional 683 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Novartis by 38.0% in the 4th quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 8,487 shares of the company’s stock valued at $826,000 after purchasing an additional 2,336 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Novartis by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 10,791 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,050,000 after buying an additional 1,010 shares during the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NVS opened at $99.69 on Wednesday. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.35 and a twelve month high of $120.92. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $100.44 and its 200-day moving average is $108.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $203.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.58, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.57.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.12. Novartis had a return on equity of 34.80% and a net margin of 35.96%. The firm had revenue of $12.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.74 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 7.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NVS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. HSBC downgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $121.50.

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.