Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Purchased by Marino Stram & Associates LLC

Marino Stram & Associates LLC increased its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,642 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Marino Stram & Associates LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $452,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bank of Montreal Can grew its holdings in Novartis by 343.5% in the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 657,903 shares of the company’s stock valued at $70,652,000 after purchasing an additional 509,567 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,063,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Novartis by 15.7% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 1,706,009 shares of the company’s stock valued at $196,225,000 after purchasing an additional 231,851 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Novartis in the third quarter valued at approximately $24,096,000. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Novartis in the third quarter valued at approximately $21,078,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Price Performance

NYSE:NVS opened at $98.17 on Thursday. Novartis AG has a 52 week low of $92.35 and a 52 week high of $120.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The company has a market capitalization of $200.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.57. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $100.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $108.88.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.12. Novartis had a return on equity of 34.80% and a net margin of 35.96%. The company had revenue of $12.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.74 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 7.62 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on NVS shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, HSBC downgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $121.50.

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.