Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Sold by GTS Securities LLC

GTS Securities LLC reduced its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 76.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,650 shares of the company's stock after selling 31,040 shares during the quarter. GTS Securities LLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $939,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NVS. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Novartis by 95.8% in the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,022 shares of the company's stock valued at $99,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in Novartis by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 249,622 shares of the company's stock valued at $24,291,000 after acquiring an additional 4,624 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Novartis by 76.5% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 21.8% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,239 shares of the company's stock worth $315,000 after purchasing an additional 580 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in shares of Novartis by 7,220.0% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 2,196 shares of the company's stock valued at $214,000 after purchasing an additional 2,166 shares during the period. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NVS stock traded up $0.60 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $112.47. 1,111,329 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,588,248. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $109.89 and a 200 day moving average of $105.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $96.06 and a 1 year high of $120.92. The firm has a market cap of $237.58 billion, a PE ratio of 19.13, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.60.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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