Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. Trims Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc. reduced its position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 0.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 10,554 shares of the company’s stock after selling 101 shares during the quarter. Guyasuta Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $1,027,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its stake in Novartis by 503.8% in the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 320 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at about $55,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at about $69,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Stock Down 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE:NVS opened at $105.43 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $92.35 and a 52-week high of $120.92. The company has a 50 day moving average of $100.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $108.33. 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.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. As a group, analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. HSBC lowered shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.