Aureus Asset Management LLC Makes New Investment in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Aureus Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,929 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $222,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. New Millennium Group LLC bought a new stake in Novartis during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Lynx Investment Advisory bought a new stake in Novartis in the second quarter worth about $29,000. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Novartis in the second quarter worth about $30,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of NVS stock opened at $104.81 on Tuesday. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $92.35 and a 52-week high of $120.92. The business’s fifty day moving average is $110.48 and its 200 day moving average is $110.30. 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 company has a market capitalization of $214.23 billion, a PE ratio of 12.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.56.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted 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. Novartis had a net margin of 35.96% and a return on equity of 34.80%. The company had revenue of $12.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.74 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 7.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

NVS has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Bank of America downgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $135.00 to $130.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $121.00 target price (up previously from $119.00) on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective 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. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Novartis currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.