Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT Cuts Stock Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT decreased its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,758 shares of the company’s stock after selling 125 shares during the quarter. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT’s holdings in Novartis were worth $2,798,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of Novartis by 425.8% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 42,831 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,926,000 after buying an additional 34,685 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in Novartis by 1.6% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 39,056 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,492,000 after acquiring an additional 608 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Novartis during the third quarter valued at approximately $19,878,000. Mcdaniel Terry & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Mcdaniel Terry & Co. now owns 6,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $712,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 29.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 22,167 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,550,000 after purchasing an additional 5,052 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NVS stock opened at $109.42 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $223.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $101.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $108.15. Novartis AG has a one year low of $92.35 and a one year high of $120.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, HSBC lowered Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.