Hsbc Holdings PLC Invests $22.98 Million in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 214,962 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,979,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aveo Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Novartis by 12.3% in the fourth quarter. Aveo Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $253,000 after acquiring an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in Novartis by 1,345.3% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 8,036 shares of the company’s stock valued at $811,000 after purchasing an additional 7,480 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE boosted its stake in shares of Novartis by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 266,543 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,913,000 after purchasing an additional 31,452 shares during the last quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC grew its position in shares of Novartis by 30.6% during the 4th quarter. SageView Advisory Group LLC now owns 3,067 shares of the company’s stock worth $331,000 after buying an additional 718 shares during the period. Finally, Team Hewins LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $317,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays raised shares of Novartis to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, June 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $121.00 target price (up previously from $119.00) on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Bank of America lowered Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $135.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $120.70.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NVS opened at $115.94 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $236.98 billion, a PE ratio of 15.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.57. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $114.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $105.48. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $92.19 and a 52-week high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 18th. The company reported $1.97 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $12.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.24 billion. Novartis had a net margin of 33.76% and a return on equity of 34.56%. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.83 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 7.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.