Novartis AG $NVS Shares Bought by Janus Henderson Group PLC

Key Points

• Janus Henderson increased its Novartis stake by 1.9% in the first quarter, adding 41,520 shares to hold 2.28 million shares valued at approximately $347.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 13.12% of Novartis.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: seven analysts rate Novartis a Buy, seven a Hold, and two a Sell, producing a consensus “Hold” rating with a $141.20 price target.
• Novartis shares opened at $158.45, down 0.2%, while the company reported quarterly earnings of $2.41 per share and revenue of $14.95 billion. Analysts expect full-year earnings of $8.82 per share.

Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 1.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,275,938 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 41,520 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned approximately 0.12% of Novartis worth $347,649,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Archer Investment Corp grew its holdings in Novartis by 93.0% during the first quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 166 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. CrossGen Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 425.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 231 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Novartis Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of Novartis stock opened at $158.45 on Friday. Novartis AG has a 12-month low of $112.34 and a 12-month high of $170.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $302.35 billion, a PE ratio of 23.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The stock's fifty day moving average is $152.58 and its 200-day moving average is $152.70.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The company reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $14.95 billion during the quarter. Novartis had a return on equity of 38.56% and a net margin of 23.29%. Equities analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.82 earnings per share for the current year.

About Novartis

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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