Elser Financial Planning Inc Makes New $874,000 Investment in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Elser Financial Planning Inc purchased a new position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 8,978 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $874,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in Novartis by 128.1% during 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 in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis during the third quarter worth approximately $30,063,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Novartis by 15.7% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 1,706,009 shares of the company's stock worth $196,225,000 after purchasing an additional 231,851 shares during the last quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd bought a new stake in Novartis during the third quarter worth $24,096,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in Novartis during the third quarter worth $21,078,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NVS traded up $0.56 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $107.56. The stock had a trading volume of 2,841,536 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,014,377. Novartis AG has a 12 month low of $92.35 and a 12 month high of $120.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $219.85 billion, a PE ratio of 18.29, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.04. The company's 50-day moving average is $100.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $108.34.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (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%. Research analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.42 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on NVS shares. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Erste Group Bank restated a "hold" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday. They set an "underweight" rating for the company. Finally, HSBC cut Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "reduce" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average 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.