Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Acquired by CHICAGO TRUST Co NA

CHICAGO TRUST Co NA lifted its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 9.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,304 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 361 shares during the period. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA’s holdings in Novartis were worth $495,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Private Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Novartis during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Clearstead Trust LLC lifted its holdings in Novartis by 73.5% during the 1st quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 269 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. New Millennium Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Up 1.2 %

Novartis stock opened at $116.22 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $115.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $107.35. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.19 and a twelve month high of $120.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $237.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.73, a PEG ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 18th. The company reported $1.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $12.87 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.24 billion. Novartis had a return on equity of 34.56% and a net margin of 33.76%. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.83 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 7.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on NVS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Bank of America lowered Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $135.00 to $130.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $121.00 price target (up previously from $119.00) on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, Barclays raised Novartis to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $120.70.

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.