Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Acquires 6,593 Shares of Novartis AG $NVS

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 30.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,909 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,593 shares during the quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $3,848,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in NVS. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Novartis by 76.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $599,000 after purchasing an additional 2,666 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Novartis by 102.8% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 22,573 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,516,000 after buying an additional 11,444 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the first quarter worth $1,764,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Novartis by 48.0% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 7,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $963,000 after buying an additional 2,581 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the second quarter worth $202,000. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Price Performance

NVS stock opened at $142.99 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $272.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.97, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $154.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $143.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.12. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $104.93 and a 52-week high of $170.46.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.11 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $13.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.54 billion. Novartis had a return on equity of 40.53% and a net margin of 25.65%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.28 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.9 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared an annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 11th were given a $4.773 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 306.0%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 11th. Novartis’s payout ratio is 43.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on NVS. Wall Street Zen downgraded Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. DZ Bank cut Novartis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Novartis from $143.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Novartis from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Novartis currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $141.20.

Trending Headlines about Novartis

Here are the key news stories impacting Novartis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Priority brands and launches delivered strong growth (Kisqali, Pluvicto, Kesimpta, Leqvio, Scemblix) and management flagged continued launch momentum—supports medium-term sales recovery. GlobeNewswire Q1 release
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple pipeline/regulatory milestones reported (Remibrutinib CHMP opinion, Ianalumab breakthrough designation/priority review, Fabhalta Phase III eGFR results) — reduces binary risk and supports future revenue upside. GlobeNewswire milestones
• Positive Sentiment: Acquisition of Avidity adds three late‑stage neuromuscular assets, expanding near‑term product optionality. Yahoo: Avidity / R&D
• Positive Sentiment: Solid free cash flow (Q1 reported ~$3.3B) provides financial flexibility for launches, buybacks or bolt‑on M&A. GlobeNewswire cash flow
• Neutral Sentiment: Company reaffirmed FY2026 guidance (low single‑digit net sales growth; core operating income down low single‑digit) — provides guidance stability but keeps the path to 2026 earnings improvements gradual. GlobeNewswire guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Novartis signaled stepped-up R&D spending tied to the Avidity deal (up to ~$70M/month) — supports future product development but raises near-term investment and margin pressure. Yahoo: R&D spend
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 revenue and EPS missed Street estimates (core EPS $1.99 vs. ~$2.11 consensus; revenue slightly below forecasts); Entresto U.S. sales materially down due to generic competition — the immediate driver of the share weakness. Reuters: Q1 profit down
• Negative Sentiment: CEO warned U.S. MFN drug‑pricing policy could hit global access and margins, increasing regulatory/policy risk for U.S. revenues over the next 12–18 months. CNBC: CEO MFN warning
• Negative Sentiment: Erste Group trimmed its FY2026 EPS estimate modestly (to ~$8.70 from $8.82), signaling some analyst downward pressure after the quarter (consensus ~ $8.90).

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.