Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Bought by Mengis Capital Management Inc.

Mengis Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 80,113 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the period. Novartis makes up about 1.6% of Mengis Capital Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Mengis Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $7,796,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 26.9% in the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 89,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,668,000 after acquiring an additional 18,894 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 20.1% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,001,000 after acquiring an additional 5,164 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 135.5% in the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 39,976 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,598,000 after acquiring an additional 22,998 shares in the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at $239,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 13.7% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 157,256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,088,000 after acquiring an additional 18,990 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Stock Down 0.2 %

NVS opened at $109.15 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $101.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $108.09. 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 AG has a one year low of $92.35 and a one year high of $120.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $223.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. HSBC cut Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $123.38.

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.