Franklin Parlapiano Turner & Welch LLC Buys 206 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Franklin Parlapiano Turner & Welch LLC boosted its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 75,450 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the period. Novartis accounts for 2.0% of Franklin Parlapiano Turner & Welch LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Franklin Parlapiano Turner & Welch LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $7,342,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 503.8% during the 3rd quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 320 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Clean Yield Group bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $55,000. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Novartis Price Performance

NYSE NVS opened at $103.09 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.11. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $100.07 and a 200 day moving average of $108.57. Novartis AG has a one year low of $92.35 and a one year high of $120.92. The company has a market capitalization of $210.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.97, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.57.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $12.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.62 billion. Novartis had a net margin of 35.96% and a return on equity of 34.80%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.74 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 7.62 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NVS has been the topic of a number of research reports. HSBC lowered Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Novartis has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.