Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Bought by NBC Securities Inc.

NBC Securities Inc. lifted its position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 116,080.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,618 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,608 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc.'s holdings in Novartis were worth $1,295,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Novartis by 14.1% during the 1st quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,319 shares of the company's stock worth $481,000 after buying an additional 535 shares in the last quarter. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC raised its holdings in shares of Novartis by 7.3% during the first quarter. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC now owns 169,475 shares of the company's stock valued at $18,893,000 after acquiring an additional 11,501 shares during the last quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA increased its position in shares of Novartis by 5.3% during the first quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 2,361 shares of the company's stock worth $263,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Sanders Morris Harris LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis during the first quarter worth approximately $219,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in shares of Novartis by 11.1% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 38,600 shares of the company's stock worth $4,303,000 after purchasing an additional 3,846 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on NVS shares. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an "underweight" rating on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. BNP Paribas upgraded Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Novartis presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $123.38.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NVS stock traded up $1.15 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $117.09. The stock had a trading volume of 929,647 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,590,409. Novartis AG has a 12-month low of $96.06 and a 12-month high of $120.92. The company has a market cap of $247.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.60. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $110.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $106.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

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