1,991 Shares in Novartis AG $NVS Bought by Cura Wealth Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Cura Wealth Advisors LLC purchased 1,991 shares of Novartis AG, valued at approximately $222,000, during the first quarter.
• Several institutional investors, including Nomura Holdings Inc. and Twin Tree Management LP, significantly increased their stakes in Novartis, showcasing confidence in the company's performance.
• Analysts are optimistic about Novartis, with a mix of ratings, including at least one "Strong Buy," and an average target price of $123.50.

Cura Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 1,991 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $222,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new position in Novartis in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new position in Novartis in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Tsfg LLC grew its holdings in Novartis by 366.0% in the 1st quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 233 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley upgraded Novartis from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $123.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered Novartis from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $124.33.

Novartis Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of Novartis stock traded up $1.26 on Friday, hitting $129.68. 779,908 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,911,885. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $121.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $114.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $273.94 billion, a PE ratio of 18.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.63. Novartis AG has a one year low of $96.06 and a one year high of $130.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

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

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.