Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Acquired by Curbstone Financial Management Corp

Curbstone Financial Management Corp increased its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,256 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the quarter. Curbstone Financial Management Corp’s holdings in Novartis were worth $414,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of Novartis by 503.8% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Clean Yield Group acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth $55,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NVS stock opened at $103.37 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $100.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $108.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.11. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $92.35 and a 1 year high of $120.92. The firm has a market cap of $211.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.01, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.57.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $12.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.62 billion. Novartis had a return on equity of 34.80% and a net margin of 35.96%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.74 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 7.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on NVS shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, HSBC cut Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Novartis currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.38.

Novartis Company 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.