Keystone Financial Services Buys 237 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Keystone Financial Services increased its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,374 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the quarter. Keystone Financial Services’ holdings in Novartis were worth $718,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Creative Planning increased its position in Novartis by 4.1% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 344,951 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,676,000 after acquiring an additional 13,486 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Novartis by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,659 shares of the company’s stock worth $306,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in Novartis by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 6,864 shares of the company’s stock worth $789,000 after purchasing an additional 394 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Novartis by 159.3% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 11,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,185,000 after purchasing an additional 6,839 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chicago Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 7.2% during the third quarter. Chicago Capital LLC now owns 2,830 shares of the company’s stock valued at $326,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Trading Down 2.1 %

NYSE NVS opened at $105.43 on Monday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $100.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $108.27. Novartis AG has a one year low of $92.35 and a one year high of $120.92. The company has a market capitalization of $215.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.93, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. Equities analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on NVS shares. HSBC cut Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned 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 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.