Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Bought by Arkadios Wealth Advisors

Key Points

• Arkadios Wealth Advisors significantly increased its position in Novartis AG, raising its holdings by 212.4% to 26,515 shares during Q1, now valued at approximately $2.96 million.
• BNP Paribas upgraded Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating, while the stock maintains a consensus rating of "Hold" with an average price target of $123.67.
• Novartis reported a 12.3% year-over-year revenue increase for Q2, with earnings per share (EPS) of $2.42, surpassing analyst estimates by $0.04.

Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 212.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 26,515 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 18,028 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors' holdings in Novartis were worth $2,956,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Novartis by 76.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,153 shares of the company's stock valued at $599,000 after acquiring an additional 2,666 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans purchased a new stake in Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at $204,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Novartis by 35.6% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 423,142 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,176,000 after acquiring an additional 111,066 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 34.8% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 47,158 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,589,000 after acquiring an additional 12,184 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Financial LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 19.1% in the fourth quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 4,515 shares of the company's stock valued at $439,000 after acquiring an additional 725 shares during the period. 13.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NVS stock traded up $1.51 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $115.25. 1,927,789 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,958,642. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The company's 50 day moving average is $117.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $111.65. The company has a market cap of $243.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.62. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $96.06 and a 1 year high of $124.83.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The company reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.38 by $0.04. Novartis had a return on equity of 41.08% and a net margin of 25.64%. The company had revenue of $14.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.94 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.97 earnings per share. Novartis's quarterly revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $123.67.

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.