Arlington Partners LLC Buys 6,404 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Arlington Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 20.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 37,556 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 6,404 shares during the period. Novartis accounts for approximately 1.7% of Arlington Partners LLC's holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Arlington Partners LLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $4,320,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Founders Financial Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 2,832 shares of the company's stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. raised its stake in Novartis by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 2,091 shares of the company's stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. raised its stake in Novartis by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 10,492 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,116,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Novartis by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,013 shares of the company's stock valued at $196,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Portside Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in Novartis by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $319,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of Novartis stock traded down $1.42 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $115.76. 646,422 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 936,941. The company has a market cap of $236.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $116.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $108.09. Novartis AG has a fifty-two week low of $92.19 and a fifty-two week high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 18th. The company reported $1.97 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.10. Novartis had a net margin of 33.76% and a return on equity of 34.56%. The firm had revenue of $12.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.83 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 7.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on NVS shares. Barclays upgraded shares of Novartis to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Bank of America cut shares of Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $135.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $121.00 price objective (up previously from $119.00) on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $120.70.

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.