Blue Square Asset Management LLC Has $2.10 Million Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Blue Square Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 21,537 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 427 shares during the quarter. Blue Square Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $2,096,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of Novartis by 503.8% in the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 320 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the period. Clean Yield Group acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the third quarter worth $43,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth $55,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Novartis by 782.0% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 785 shares of the company’s stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 696 shares during the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Novartis Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE NVS opened at $99.93 on Friday. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.35 and a twelve month high of $120.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market cap of $204.25 billion, a PE ratio of 11.61, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.57. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $100.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $108.69.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $12.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.62 billion. Novartis had a return on equity of 34.80% and a net margin of 35.96%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.74 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 7.62 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on NVS shares. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. HSBC downgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $123.38.

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.