Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Bought by Principal Securities Inc.

Principal Securities Inc. increased its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 10.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,757 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 2,613 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.'s holdings in Novartis were worth $2,798,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. TigerOak Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at about $301,000. Roxbury Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at about $399,000. Hickory Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at about $349,000. BXM Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at about $487,000. Finally, WASHINGTON TRUST Co lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co now owns 4,665 shares of the company's stock valued at $454,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Novartis Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:NVS traded up $2.11 during trading on Friday, reaching $109.42. The stock had a trading volume of 2,274,792 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,952,208. Novartis AG has a fifty-two week low of $92.35 and a fifty-two week 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. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $101.24 and a 200-day moving average price of $108.15. The stock has a market cap of $223.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.61, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. HSBC downgraded shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "reduce" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Erste Group Bank reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.