Bailard Inc. Acquires 283 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Bailard Inc. increased its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 5.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,963 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 283 shares during the quarter. Bailard Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $580,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Novartis by 17.4% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,002,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $194,908,000 after buying an additional 296,950 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 128.1% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 528,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,554,000 after purchasing an additional 296,890 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,063,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth about $225,000. Finally, ABC Arbitrage SA purchased a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at $19,795,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:NVS opened at $111.53 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $103.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $227.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.97, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Novartis AG has a 52 week low of $92.35 and a 52 week high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on NVS shares. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. HSBC cut shares of 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Novartis currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $123.38.

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.