520 Shares in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Purchased by Clearstead Trust LLC

Clearstead Trust LLC purchased a new position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 520 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $51,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NVS. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the third quarter worth $28,000. Human Investing LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth about $55,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of Novartis stock opened at $109.15 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $223.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.56, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $105.36 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $107.68. Novartis AG has a 12 month low of $92.35 and a 12 month high of $120.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. As a group, analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on NVS. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. HSBC downgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.38.

Novartis 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.