Mengis Capital Management Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Mengis Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 80,113 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 600 shares during the period. Novartis accounts for about 1.6% of Mengis Capital Management Inc.’s portfolio, 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.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its stake in Novartis by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 5,728 shares of the company’s stock worth $659,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Novartis by 2.3% in the third quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC now owns 4,423 shares of the company’s stock valued at $509,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Allen Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Novartis by 1.8% in the third quarter. Allen Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,788 shares of the company’s stock valued at $666,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Novartis by 1.1% in the third quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 9,494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,092,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC grew its position in shares of Novartis by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 16,682 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,623,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novartis Trading Down 0.2 %

NVS opened at $109.15 on Tuesday. 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 PE ratio of 18.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $101.69 and its 200 day moving average price 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 (NYSE:NVS) last released its quarterly 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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on NVS shares. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, HSBC lowered Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Novartis currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.