Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Acquired by HM Payson & Co.

HM Payson & Co. increased its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 28.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,062 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 899 shares during the quarter. HM Payson & Co.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $395,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Human Investing LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new stake in Novartis in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Novartis in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth about $55,000. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. HSBC downgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $123.38.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NVS opened at $115.60 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $236.29 billion, a PE ratio of 19.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $104.02 and a 200-day moving average of $107.89. Novartis AG has a one year low of $92.35 and a one year high of $120.92.

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

Novartis 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.