O Brien Greene & Co. Inc Boosts Stock Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

O Brien Greene & Co. Inc increased its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,698 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. O Brien Greene & Co. Inc’s holdings in Novartis were worth $554,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NVS. Boston Financial Mangement LLC lifted its position in Novartis by 12.8% in the fourth quarter. Boston Financial Mangement LLC now owns 9,072 shares of the company’s stock valued at $883,000 after acquiring an additional 1,027 shares during the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,143 shares of the company’s stock worth $403,000 after buying an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its position in Novartis by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 40,522 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,943,000 after buying an additional 1,466 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 7,713 shares of the company’s stock valued at $751,000 after buying an additional 849 shares during the period. Finally, Timber Creek Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Novartis by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Timber Creek Capital Management LLC now owns 42,531 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,139,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the period. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NVS stock opened at $107.06 on Thursday. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $92.35 and a 52-week high of $120.92. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $100.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $108.16. 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 market cap of $218.82 billion, a PE ratio of 18.21, a PEG ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.58.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. As a group, analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, HSBC downgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Novartis presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $123.38.

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.