QRG Capital Management Inc. Buys 10,519 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 5.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 187,782 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,519 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $18,273,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Human Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the third quarter worth $28,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of Novartis by 503.8% during the third quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 320 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth $47,000. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NVS stock opened at $107.95 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $220.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $102.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $108.08. Novartis AG has a one year low of $92.35 and a one year high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, equities analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on NVS. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating for the company. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Novartis presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $123.38.

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.