Cypress Asset Management Inc. TX Makes New Investment in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Cypress Asset Management Inc. TX acquired a new position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 7,082 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $704,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Ascent Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 6,848 shares of the company's stock worth $666,000 after buying an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Perennial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at about $4,006,000. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Forum Financial Management LP increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 24,553 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,389,000 after acquiring an additional 731 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Michels Family Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $339,000. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novartis Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of Novartis stock traded down $1.33 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $111.88. 1,542,862 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,590,156. The stock has a market cap of $236.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.03, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $96.06 and a twelve month high of $120.92. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $109.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $105.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $13.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.92 billion. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. Novartis's quarterly revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.80 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on NVS. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "underweight" rating for the company. BNP Paribas raised shares of Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Barclays restated an "underweight" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Novartis has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $123.38.

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.