Janus Henderson Group PLC Has $292.37 Million Stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Janus Henderson Group PLC trimmed its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 0.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,541,861 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,052 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned 0.12% of Novartis worth $292,365,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Hilltop Holdings Inc. raised its position in shares of Novartis by 10.1% during the third quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc. now owns 11,284 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,298,000 after purchasing an additional 1,034 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC raised its position in Novartis by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 6,691 shares of the company’s stock valued at $770,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its position in Novartis by 90.1% in the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 45,491 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,239,000 after buying an additional 21,561 shares during the last quarter. Aureus Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Novartis in the 3rd quarter valued at $222,000. Finally, Paradigm Capital Management LLC NV purchased a new stake in Novartis in the 3rd quarter valued at $339,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:NVS opened at $104.57 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $213.73 billion, a PE ratio of 12.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $110.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $110.31. Novartis AG has a 1 year low of $92.35 and a 1 year high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $12.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.62 billion. Novartis had a return on equity of 34.80% and a net margin of 35.96%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.74 EPS. Analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 7.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on NVS. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Bank of America lowered Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $135.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 11th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $121.00 price target (up from $119.00) on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $121.50.

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.