Novem Group Invests $1.16 Million in Novartis AG $NVS

Key Points

• Novem Group has invested approximately $1.16 million in Novartis AG, acquiring 9,581 shares during the second quarter.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed ratings on Novartis, with one upgrade to "equal weight" from Morgan Stanley and an average price target of $120.33.
• Novartis reported a 12.3% year-over-year increase in revenue for the last quarter, totaling $14.05 billion, and beat EPS estimates with a figure of $2.42.

Novem Group acquired a new position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 9,581 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,159,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NVS. Nexus Investment Management ULC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Tsfg LLC raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 366.0% during the 1st quarter. Tsfg LLC now owns 233 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, MCF Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 66.0% during the 2nd quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on NVS. Morgan Stanley upgraded Novartis from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $123.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Wall Street Zen cut Novartis from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "sell" rating and issued a $118.00 price target (down previously from $119.00) on shares of Novartis in a research note on Friday, September 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Novartis currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $120.33.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE NVS opened at $122.34 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $122.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $116.43. Novartis AG has a one year low of $96.06 and a one year high of $130.46. The firm has a market cap of $258.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.63.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 17th. The company reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.38 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $14.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.94 billion. Novartis had a return on equity of 41.08% and a net margin of 25.64%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.97 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

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.

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