Radnor Capital Management LLC Reduces Stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Radnor Capital Management LLC lessened its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 4.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,925 shares of the company’s stock after selling 300 shares during the quarter. Radnor Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $573,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of NVS. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Operose Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in Novartis in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, AdvisorNet Financial Inc increased its stake in Novartis by 480.0% in the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 348 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Novartis Price Performance

NVS opened at $107.13 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.71. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $92.19 and a 1 year high of $108.78. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $100.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $100.89. The firm has a market cap of $218.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.20, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.58.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $11.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.50 billion. Novartis had a net margin of 31.33% and a return on equity of 32.15%. As a group, analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on NVS. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Novartis from $114.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They set a “buy” rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Novartis has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $116.67.

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.