Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp Trims Stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp reduced its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 3,641 shares of the company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Aull & Monroe Investment Management Corp’s holdings in Novartis were worth $354,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NVS. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis in the third quarter valued at approximately $242,000. HF Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in Novartis by 9.8% during the third quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 8,409 shares of the company’s stock worth $967,000 after buying an additional 751 shares during the last quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC boosted its stake in Novartis by 1.3% during the third quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 7,913 shares of the company’s stock worth $910,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 3rd quarter valued at $228,000. Finally, Radnor Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 10.1% in the 3rd quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC now owns 6,525 shares of the company’s stock valued at $751,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on NVS shares. StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. HSBC downgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $123.38.

Novartis Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE:NVS opened at $111.85 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $103.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $107.98. The stock has a market cap of $228.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $92.35 and a 1 year high of $120.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released 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, analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.