Ashton Thomas Securities LLC Makes New Investment in Novartis AG $NVS

Key Points

• Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased 22,962 Novartis shares worth approximately $3.5 million during the first quarter. Other institutional investors also increased their positions or opened new stakes, with institutions collectively owning 13.12% of the company.
• Novartis reported quarterly earnings of $2.41 per share on revenue of $14.95 billion, alongside a 38.56% return on equity and a 23.29% net margin.
• Novartis shares opened at $158.82, near the upper end of their 52-week range. Analysts remain divided—seven rate the stock a Buy, seven a Hold and two a Sell—with a consensus Hold rating and an average price target of $141.20.

Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 22,962 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,507,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 2,666 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Novartis by 102.8% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 22,573 shares of the company's stock worth $2,516,000 after purchasing an additional 11,444 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,764,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Novartis by 48.0% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 7,959 shares of the company's stock valued at $963,000 after buying an additional 2,581 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. acquired a new position in Novartis in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Novartis Stock Down 0.6%

Novartis stock opened at $158.82 on Thursday. Novartis AG has a 1-year low of $112.34 and a 1-year high of $170.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $303.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.45. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $152.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $152.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The company reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $14.95 billion for the quarter. Novartis had a return on equity of 38.56% and a net margin of 23.29%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on NVS shares. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $141.20.

Novartis Company Profile

Novartis is a Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Basel that researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines and related health-care products. Formed through the 1996 merger of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz, Novartis operates globally and focuses on bringing therapeutics from discovery through clinical development to commercial markets worldwide.

The company's activities center on innovative pharmaceuticals across several therapeutic areas, including oncology, immunology, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, neuroscience and ophthalmology, alongside capabilities in advanced therapies such as biologics, cell and gene therapies.

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