AlphaCentric Advisors LLC Acquires Shares of 15,719 Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

AlphaCentric Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVSFree Report) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 15,719 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,530,000. Novartis makes up about 1.5% of AlphaCentric Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Centaurus Financial Inc. boosted its position in Novartis by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 5,728 shares of the company’s stock valued at $659,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Novartis by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC now owns 4,423 shares of the company’s stock valued at $509,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Allen Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Novartis by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Allen Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,788 shares of the company’s stock valued at $666,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Novartis by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 9,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,092,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 7,913 shares of the company’s stock valued at $910,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on NVS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday. HSBC downgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Novartis presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $123.38.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Novartis

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of Novartis stock opened at $105.43 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $215.50 billion, a PE ratio of 17.93, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58. Novartis AG has a 12 month low of $92.35 and a 12 month high of $120.92. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $100.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $108.27.

Novartis (NYSE:NVSGet Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.42 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Novartis (NYSE:NVS)

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