Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Sold by Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA

Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA lowered its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 52.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,722 shares of the company’s stock after selling 19,625 shares during the quarter. Nichols & Pratt Advisers LLP MA’s holdings in Novartis were worth $1,725,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. US Bancorp DE raised its position in Novartis by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 248,540 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,186,000 after acquiring an additional 5,913 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Novartis by 17.4% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,002,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $194,908,000 after acquiring an additional 296,950 shares in the last quarter. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at about $869,000. Motco grew its stake in shares of Novartis by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Motco now owns 6,459 shares of the company’s stock valued at $629,000 after buying an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in shares of Novartis by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 5,176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $504,000 after buying an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NVS stock opened at $109.06 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $102.60 and a 200-day moving average of $108.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The firm has a market cap of $222.91 billion, a PE ratio of 18.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58. Novartis AG has a 12 month low of $92.35 and a 12 month high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. On average, equities analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NVS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.