Novartis (NYSE:NVS) Stock Rating Upgraded by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis (NYSE:NVS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Novartis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. 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, five have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.38.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NVS opened at $105.51 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $100.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $108.41. Novartis has a 12 month low of $92.35 and a 12 month high of $120.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $215.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.58.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its earnings results 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 37.79% and a net margin of 23.56%. As a group, analysts predict that Novartis will post 8.34 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Novartis

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 4.8% during the third quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 2,091 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Novartis by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 5,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $659,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. FLC Capital Advisors grew its stake in shares of Novartis by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. FLC Capital Advisors now owns 2,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Novartis by 2.3% in the third quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC now owns 4,423 shares of the company’s stock valued at $509,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allen Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 1.8% during the third quarter. Allen Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,788 shares of the company’s stock valued at $666,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.