Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. Sells 6,450 Shares of Novartis AG $NVS

Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 18.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,827 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,450 shares during the period. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $3,569,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. boosted its stake in Novartis by 15.6% during the 3rd quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 85,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,926,000 after purchasing an additional 11,500 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 5.5% during the third quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 132,536 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,001,000 after purchasing an additional 6,924 shares in the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 13.2% during the second quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 49,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,975,000 after purchasing an additional 5,742 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 27.7% during the third quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 64,760 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,305,000 after buying an additional 14,032 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dynasty Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Novartis in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,491,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Performance

NYSE:NVS opened at $156.41 on Monday. 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 stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $140.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $131.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $330.40 billion, a PE ratio of 21.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.50. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $97.71 and a 52-week high of $156.62.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.04. The firm 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.98 EPS. Analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on NVS shares. Barclays raised shares of Novartis from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. HC Wainwright downgraded shares of Novartis to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Cfra set a $126.00 target price on shares of Novartis and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Novartis from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $119.75.

Key Headlines Impacting Novartis

Here are the key news stories impacting Novartis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat and 12‑month high — Novartis reported adjusted EPS of $2.03 vs. consensus $1.99 and the stock hit a new 12‑month high as investors took the beat and margin strength as a signal of underlying profitability. Novartis Reaches New 12-Month High Following Strong Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Record margins: management highlighted record core operating margins on the earnings call, helping offset topline softness and supporting EPS and free‑cash‑flow expectations. Novartis Earnings Call: Record Margins
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst target moved higher — at least one published target was increased (~11%), reinforcing the bullish reaction from the Street. Price Target Increased
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns — Novartis declared an annual dividend of $4.773/share (record Mar 11, pay Mar 16), and commentary noted ongoing buybacks that support EPS and valuation.
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline and value thesis — analysts and investors point to a deep pipeline, upcoming clinical readouts and active buybacks as reasons Novartis may re‑rate from current multiples. Novartis: Value Price, Growth Pipeline
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcripts and slides available — full Q4 call transcript and the investor presentation provide detail on product trends, margin drivers and near‑term catalysts for modeling. Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript Q4 Results Presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss and generic pressure — Q4 revenue fell short as generic competition pressured Entresto and Promacta sales; revenue weakness is a near‑term headwind to top‑line growth expectations. Revenue Miss / Generic Pressure
• Negative Sentiment: ESG and sustainability risk flagged — Novartis disclosed new environmental/social risks that could affect reputation, financing or long‑term valuation if not addressed. ESG and Sustainability Risks

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.