Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC Has $1.10 Million Stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 4.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,327 shares of the company’s stock after selling 557 shares during the period. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $1,102,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of NVS. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. lifted its holdings in Novartis by 4.8% in the third quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 2,091 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Centaurus Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Novartis by 1.7% in the third quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 5,728 shares of the company’s stock valued at $659,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. FLC Capital Advisors lifted its holdings in Novartis by 4.4% in the third quarter. FLC Capital Advisors now owns 2,366 shares of the company’s stock valued at $272,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Allen Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 100 shares during the period. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NVS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Erste Group Bank restated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. HSBC downgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, 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 research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $121.50.

Novartis Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of NVS stock opened at $98.17 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $100.34 and a 200-day moving average of $108.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Novartis AG has a 12-month low of $92.35 and a 12-month high of $120.92. The company has a market capitalization of $200.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 0.57.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.12. Novartis had a net margin of 35.96% and a return on equity of 34.80%. The company had revenue of $12.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.74 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 7.62 earnings per share 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.