Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Shares Acquired by Schechter Investment Advisors LLC

Schechter Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 12,748 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 330 shares during the period. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $1,287,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in NVS. McCarthy Grittinger Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Operose Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 118.1% during the 2nd quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC now owns 301 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on NVS shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Novartis in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $114.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com started coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, December 6th. They set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Novartis in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. They set a “market perform” rating and a $114.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, HSBC lowered Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 18th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.33.

Novartis Stock Performance

NYSE:NVS opened at $95.88 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $203.23 billion, a PE ratio of 13.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.54. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $102.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $99.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.93. Novartis AG has a 12 month low of $89.76 and a 12 month high of $108.78.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.64 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $11.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.69 billion. Novartis had a return on equity of 29.90% and a net margin of 29.83%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.51 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 7.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were paid a dividend of $3.7772 per share. This is an increase from Novartis’s previous annual dividend of $3.47. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a dividend yield of 3.1%. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio is 34.26%.

Novartis Company Profile

Novartis AG researches, develops, manufactures, and markets healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. It 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.