Synovus Financial Corp Raises Stock Position in Novartis AG $NVS

Synovus Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 79.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,589 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,250 shares during the quarter. Synovus Financial Corp’s holdings in Novartis were worth $2,385,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in NVS. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. increased its stake in Novartis by 15.6% in the 3rd quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 85,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,926,000 after buying an additional 11,500 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its stake in Novartis by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 132,536 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,001,000 after acquiring an additional 6,924 shares in the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH increased its position 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 worth $5,975,000 after acquiring an additional 5,742 shares during the period. Todd Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Novartis by 5.8% during the third quarter. Todd Asset Management LLC now owns 439,879 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,411,000 after acquiring an additional 23,978 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 14,032 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Novartis

Here are the key news stories impacting Novartis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: President Trump said he met Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan and highlighted the company is building 11 U.S. manufacturing plants — a signal of stronger U.S. production footprint, potential government support and on‑shoring that can reduce supply risk and support future sales. Trump meets Novartis CEO, says drugmaker building 11 US plants
• Positive Sentiment: Novartis is making a major R&D/portfolio bet — a $1.8 billion investment in oral peptide programs — which could expand its pipeline into high‑value modalities if clinical progress continues. This is growth‑oriented spending that investors may view positively for long‑term upside. Novartis Makes $1.8 Billion Bet On Oral Peptides
• Neutral Sentiment: Novartis agreed to sell its ~70.7% holding in its listed Indian unit to a consortium (WaveRise, ChrysCapital, Two Infinity) for about $159M — a sizeable strategic divestment geographically but small relative to Novartis’ market cap; it reduces direct India exposure and will free up capital, though near‑term earnings impact is modest. Novartis to sell entire 71% stake in Indian unit to consortium of WaveRise Investments
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst revisions from Zacks are mixed but tilted downward overall: Zacks issued multiple cuts to quarterly and FY2026/2027 EPS estimates (several Q2/Q3 and FY reductions), which can pressure sentiment and imply lower near‑term earnings growth expectations. These downgrades are likely the primary short‑term negative driver.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary pieces (e.g., Yahoo Finance stock look) provide broader context but contain no single catalyst; useful for long‑term perspective but not a direct price driver today. Where is Novartis AG (NVS) Headed?

Novartis Stock Down 0.7%

NYSE:NVS opened at $162.76 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $146.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $133.97. 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 fifty-two week low of $97.71 and a fifty-two week high of $167.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $343.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.50.

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

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 11th will be given a $4.773 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 11th. This represents a dividend yield of 312.0%. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.30%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on NVS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 12th. DZ Bank lowered Novartis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. HSBC restated a “reduce” rating and issued a $112.00 price objective on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Novartis from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of Novartis from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Novartis 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.