Apollon Wealth Management LLC Buys 7,990 Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 157.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 13,050 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,990 shares during the quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $1,318,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of NVS. Operose Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis in the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its stake in Novartis by 480.0% during the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 348 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Novartis during the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Adirondack Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of 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. 13.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on NVS. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $114.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Novartis from $114.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NVS opened at $99.62 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $203.62 billion, a PE ratio of 13.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.53. Novartis AG has a 1-year low of $92.19 and a 1-year high of $108.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $97.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $99.05.

Novartis Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 8th were issued a $3.7772 dividend. This is an increase from Novartis’s previous annual dividend of $3.47. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. This represents a yield of 3.1%. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 32.79%.

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.