Advisors Preferred LLC Buys Shares of 1,305 Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Advisors Preferred LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 1,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $127,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NVS. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of Novartis by 503.8% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 320 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $69,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Performance

NYSE:NVS opened at $106.17 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $100.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $108.39. The company has a market cap of $217.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.06, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.04. Novartis AG has a fifty-two week low of $92.35 and a fifty-two week high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share 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, equities analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NVS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. HSBC lowered Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Erste Group Bank reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Novartis has an average rating of “Hold” and an average 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.