HighTower Advisors LLC Acquires 3,182 Shares of Novartis AG $NVS

HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 267,821 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,182 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $41,973,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Novartis by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 10,577 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,348,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Roundview Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Novartis by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 2,711 shares of the company’s stock worth $374,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. CPC Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Novartis by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. CPC Advisors LLC now owns 1,516 shares of the company’s stock worth $238,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. now owns 710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Moody National Bank Trust Division boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 1,802 shares of the company’s stock valued at $282,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Novartis

Here are the key news stories impacting Novartis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Novartis reaffirmed its sales guidance through 2030 despite the del-desiran setback, providing some support for the company’s near- and medium-term outlook. Novartis announces trial setback on del-desiran drug
• Positive Sentiment: Remibrutinib could represent a significant opportunity in multiple sclerosis, with Bank of America estimating potential peak annual sales of roughly $3 billion if the drug wins regulatory approval and captures meaningful market share. However, regulatory and competitive risks remain. Novartis has a potential $3 billion MS opportunity
• Neutral Sentiment: Del-desiran was one of three neuromuscular therapies Novartis obtained through its approximately $12 billion acquisition of Avidity Biosciences, increasing investor focus on the deal’s ability to produce valuable pipeline assets. Novartis says neuromuscular drug candidate misses goal
• Negative Sentiment: A late-stage del-desiran trial for myotonic dystrophy failed to meet its key efficacy measure. The result marked another pipeline disappointment within a week and raised concerns about the prospects of the Avidity acquisition. Pharma major plummets after third trial disappointment in a week
• Negative Sentiment: Pelacarsen failed to reduce cardiovascular events such as death, heart attack or stroke, despite lowering harmful Lp(a) cholesterol. The failure undermines the drug’s multibillion-dollar commercial potential and increases pressure on Novartis to deliver success from other pipeline programs. Cholesterol drug setback casts doubt over multibillion-dollar race

Novartis Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE NVS opened at $159.95 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $155.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $153.67. Novartis AG has a 52 week low of $121.57 and a 52 week high of $170.46. The company has a market cap of $305.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.13, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.45.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The company reported $2.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Novartis had a return on equity of 38.56% and a net margin of 23.29%.The business had revenue of $14.95 billion during the quarter. As a group, equities analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Novartis has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $141.20.

About Novartis

Novartis is a Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Basel that researches, develops, manufactures and commercializes prescription medicines and related health-care products. Formed through the 1996 merger of Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz, Novartis operates globally and focuses on bringing therapeutics from discovery through clinical development to commercial markets worldwide.

The company’s activities center on innovative pharmaceuticals across several therapeutic areas, including oncology, immunology, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, neuroscience and ophthalmology, alongside capabilities in advanced therapies such as biologics, cell and gene therapies.