Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Bought by Davidson Trust Co.

Davidson Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 6.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,908 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 707 shares during the period. Davidson Trust Co.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $1,061,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in Novartis by 503.8% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 320 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NVS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. HSBC lowered shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Novartis currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.38.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NVS opened at $105.43 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $215.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.93, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58. The business’s 50 day moving average is $100.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $108.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $92.35 and a 52-week high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. Analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.42 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.