Csenge Advisory Group Boosts Stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Csenge Advisory Group grew its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 42.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,348 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,792 shares during the period. Csenge Advisory Group’s holdings in Novartis were worth $995,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NVS. Magnetar Financial LLC grew its stake in Novartis by 53.7% in the 1st quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC now owns 1,906,046 shares of the company’s stock valued at $184,372,000 after acquiring an additional 666,104 shares during the last quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD grew 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 valued at $199,819,000 after purchasing an additional 590,830 shares during the last quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 99.0% during the 4th quarter. Morningstar Investment Services LLC now owns 746,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $74,661,000 after purchasing an additional 371,590 shares in the last quarter. First Financial Bankshares Inc acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,003,000. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky purchased a new stake in Novartis in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $16,715,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NVS stock opened at $111.01 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $107.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $102.58. The firm has a market cap of $226.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.57. Novartis AG has a 1-year low of $92.19 and a 1-year high of $113.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 18th. The company reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.10. Novartis had a return on equity of 34.56% and a net margin of 33.76%. The firm had revenue of $12.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.24 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.83 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 7.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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