Godsey & Gibb Inc. Raises Stock Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Godsey & Gibb Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 1.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 195,457 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,170 shares during the quarter. Novartis accounts for approximately 2.1% of Godsey & Gibb Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Godsey & Gibb Inc.'s holdings in Novartis were worth $21,790,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Nexus Investment Management ULC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the first quarter worth $25,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Novartis Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:NVS traded up $0.23 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $118.02. 817,842 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,589,029. Novartis AG has a 12-month low of $96.06 and a 12-month high of $120.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $249.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm's fifty day moving average is $110.62 and its 200-day moving average is $106.56.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $13.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.92 billion. Novartis had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.80 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NVS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. BNP Paribas raised Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "underweight" rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Novartis presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $123.38.

Novartis 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.