Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Acquired by Janus Henderson Group PLC

Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 0.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,568,728 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,015 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned approximately 0.13% of Novartis worth $248,473,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Magnetar Financial LLC boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 53.7% in the first quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC now owns 1,906,046 shares of the company’s stock worth $184,372,000 after buying an additional 666,104 shares during the period. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 40.1% in the first quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 2,065,739 shares of the company’s stock worth $199,819,000 after buying an additional 590,830 shares during the period. Morningstar Investment Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 99.0% in the fourth quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC now owns 746,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,661,000 after buying an additional 371,590 shares during the period. First Financial Bankshares Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter worth $32,003,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 6,599.3% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 149,395 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,084,000 after buying an additional 147,165 shares during the period. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:NVS traded up $1.26 on Tuesday, reaching $111.93. The company had a trading volume of 1,161,914 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,474,157. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.19 and a twelve month high of $112.48. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $106.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $102.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $228.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 18th. The company reported $1.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.10. Novartis had a return on equity of 34.56% and a net margin of 33.76%. The company had revenue of $12.87 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.83 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 7.37 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on NVS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on Novartis in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Novartis from $121.00 to $122.50 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Barclays raised Novartis to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Novartis from $114.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $118.13.

About Novartis

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.