Todd Asset Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in Novartis AG $NVS

Todd Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 5.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 439,879 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 23,978 shares during the quarter. Novartis makes up approximately 1.1% of Todd Asset Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Todd Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $56,411,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of NVS. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Novartis by 76.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,153 shares of the company’s stock worth $599,000 after acquiring an additional 2,666 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Novartis by 102.8% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 22,573 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,516,000 after purchasing an additional 11,444 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 1st quarter worth about $1,764,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Novartis by 48.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 7,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $963,000 after purchasing an additional 2,581 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc increased its position in shares of Novartis by 18.8% during the second quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 20,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,505,000 after buying an additional 3,271 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of NYSE NVS opened at $163.09 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $344.52 billion, a PE ratio of 22.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.12. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $143.51 and its 200-day moving average price is $132.51. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $97.71 and a 52-week high of $163.42.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $524.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.85 billion. Novartis had a return on equity of 40.53% and a net margin of 25.65%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.98 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 11th will be paid a dividend of $4.773 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 11th. This represents a yield of 312.0%. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NVS has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Barclays raised Novartis from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. HC Wainwright cut shares of Novartis to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Novartis from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $119.75.

Novartis Profile

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.