Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Acquires 4,663 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 85.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 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 period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $985,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its position in Novartis by 17.4% during the fourth 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 during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Novartis by 128.1% during the 4th quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 528,682 shares of the company's stock worth $51,554,000 after acquiring an additional 296,890 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Novartis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,063,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth about $225,000. Finally, ABC Arbitrage SA acquired a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at $19,795,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novartis Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of NVS stock traded up $0.43 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $111.85. 1,770,048 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,074,565. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $103.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $107.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $228.62 billion, a PE ratio of 19.02, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. Novartis AG has a 1-year low of $92.35 and a 1-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 announced its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NVS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "underweight" rating for the company. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. HSBC lowered Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "reduce" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three equities 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Novartis presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $123.38.

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.