Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Stake Boosted by Altrius Capital Management Inc

Altrius Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 77,783 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,345 shares during the quarter. Novartis accounts for approximately 2.0% of Altrius Capital Management Inc's holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Altrius Capital Management Inc's holdings in Novartis were worth $7,569,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Novartis by 128.1% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 528,682 shares of the company's stock worth $51,554,000 after buying an additional 296,890 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,063,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Novartis by 15.7% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 1,706,009 shares of the company's stock worth $196,225,000 after acquiring an additional 231,851 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $225,000. Finally, ABC Arbitrage SA purchased a new stake in Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at $19,795,000. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Novartis Stock Performance

NVS traded up $1.31 during trading on Monday, hitting $110.36. The company's stock had a trading volume of 491,732 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,017,839. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $102.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $108.00. The firm has a market cap of $225.57 billion, a PE ratio of 18.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58. Novartis AG has a one year low of $92.35 and a one year high of $120.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on NVS shares. HSBC cut Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "reduce" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays restated an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $123.38.

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.