V Square Quantitative Management LLC Acquires 2,538 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 29.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,173 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,538 shares during the quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $1,093,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in NVS. Creative Planning increased its holdings in shares of Novartis by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 344,951 shares of the company's stock worth $39,676,000 after acquiring an additional 13,486 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Novartis by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,659 shares of the company's stock valued at $306,000 after buying an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in Novartis by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 6,864 shares of the company's stock valued at $789,000 after buying an additional 394 shares in the last quarter. Greenup Street Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Novartis by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Greenup Street Wealth Management LLC now owns 35,979 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,138,000 after buying an additional 2,111 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cardinal Capital Management grew its holdings in Novartis by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 47,319 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,443,000 after buying an additional 444 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NVS stock traded up $1.22 on Tuesday, hitting $106.65. 1,270,424 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,958,217. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.90. Novartis AG has a 12 month low of $92.35 and a 12 month high of $120.92. The stock has a market cap of $217.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a 50 day moving average of $100.78 and a 200 day moving average of $108.20.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on NVS shares. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "underweight" rating for the company. Finally, HSBC downgraded Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "reduce" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three equities research 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Novartis presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.