Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. Boosts Position in Novartis AG $NVS

Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. raised its holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 78.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 606,780 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 265,861 shares during the quarter. Novartis makes up about 3.7% of Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $77,813,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in Novartis by 489.1% in the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 564,990 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,369,000 after purchasing an additional 469,080 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Novartis by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 7,121,414 shares of the company’s stock valued at $861,762,000 after buying an additional 358,282 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 52.9% in the second quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 876,956 shares of the company’s stock valued at $106,120,000 after buying an additional 303,553 shares during the period. Midwest Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the second quarter worth about $32,297,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Novartis by 63.0% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 631,131 shares of the company’s stock worth $76,374,000 after acquiring an additional 244,037 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of Novartis stock traded down $1.58 during trading on Friday, reaching $162.34. 125,721 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,120,386. The firm has a market capitalization of $342.93 billion, a PE ratio of 22.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.50. Novartis AG has a 1-year low of $97.71 and a 1-year high of $167.86. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $146.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $133.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 0.89.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.04. Novartis had a net margin of 25.65% and a return on equity of 40.53%. The business had revenue of $13.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.85 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.98 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

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

Key Stories Impacting Novartis

Here are the key news stories impacting Novartis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Novartis struck a licensing/deal push into oral peptide drugs with potential payments and milestones up to $1.8 billion, boosting pipeline optionality and future revenue potential. Novartis Makes $1.8 Billion Bet On Oral Peptides
• Positive Sentiment: Pivotal trial success reported for a Novartis treatment targeting itchy skin conditions — a clinical readout that de‑risks part of the dermatology pipeline and supports future label/launch potential. Itchy skin conditions? Novartis’ pivotal trial success shows potential for targeted relief
• Positive Sentiment: President Trump publicly met Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan and highlighted the company is building 11 U.S. plants — a signal of manufacturing investment, supply-chain resilience and possible political/regulatory goodwill in the U.S. market. Trump meets Novartis CEO, says drugmaker building 11 US plants
• Neutral Sentiment: Novartis agreed to sell its entire ~70.7% stake in its listed Indian unit to a consortium (WaveRise Investments, ChrysCapital, Two Infinity) for about $159M — it simplifies the group and generates cash, but the proceeds are small relative to Novartis’ market cap and remove direct exposure to India’s listed entity. Novartis to sell entire 71% stake in Indian unit to consortium of WaveRise Investments Novartis to sell 70.7% stake in Indian unit for $159M
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary pieces (e.g., Where is Novartis headed?) summarize strategy and valuation debates but add little new operational info; useful for context but unlikely to move the stock sharply on their own. Where is Novartis AG (NVS) Headed?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research issued a string of estimate revisions: they trimmed FY2026 and FY2027 EPS forecasts and cut several quarterly estimates (some quarters were raised, but the net effect was lower full‑year forecasts). Analyst downward revisions can pressure the stock by lowering near‑term earnings expectations. (Zacks Research consensus details in reports issued Feb 18–19)

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NVS has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. DZ Bank downgraded shares of Novartis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $119.75.

About Novartis

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.