Venturi Wealth Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 105.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 11,631 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,983 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $1,132,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Human Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new stake in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in Novartis by 503.8% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 320 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NVS traded up $2.11 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $109.42. The company had a trading volume of 2,274,792 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,952,208. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.35 and a twelve month high of $120.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The stock has a market cap of $223.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $101.24 and its 200-day simple moving average is $108.15.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last posted 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on NVS. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "underweight" rating on the stock. Finally, HSBC downgraded Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "reduce" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Novartis 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.