Unique Wealth Strategies LLC Takes $825,000 Position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Unique Wealth Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 8,170 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $825,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Operose Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Novartis during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its position in shares of Novartis by 480.0% during the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 348 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Novartis in the third quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Adirondack Trust Co. increased its position in Novartis by 69.1% in the third quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 389 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Novartis Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE NVS traded down $1.62 during trading on Friday, hitting $97.44. 1,562,845 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,827,393. Novartis AG has a 12-month low of $92.19 and a 12-month high of $108.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $97.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $98.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $199.17 billion, a PE ratio of 13.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.54.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.64 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $11.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.69 billion. Novartis had a return on equity of 32.15% and a net margin of 31.33%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.51 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 7.22 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 8th were given a $3.7772 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This is a positive change from Novartis's previous annual dividend of $3.47. Novartis's payout ratio is currently 32.79%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on NVS shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Novartis from $114.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $114.00 price objective on the stock.

About Novartis

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.