Waverly Advisors LLC Increases Stock Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Waverly Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 28.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,243 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,256 shares during the period. Waverly Advisors LLC's holdings in Novartis were worth $997,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Human Investing LLC bought a new stake in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Bellwether Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Novartis Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE NVS traded up $0.07 during trading on Thursday, hitting $111.94. The stock had a trading volume of 321,272 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,585,215. The company has a market capitalization of $236.47 billion, a PE ratio of 19.03, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $109.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $105.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84. Novartis AG has a 12 month low of $96.06 and a 12 month high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.12 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $13.23 billion during 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 revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.80 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an "underweight" rating on the stock. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $123.38.

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.