Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Holdings Increased by Kahn Brothers Group Inc.

Kahn Brothers Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 20.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,181 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,600 shares during the quarter. Novartis accounts for approximately 0.4% of Kahn Brothers Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Kahn Brothers Group Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $2,061,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Novartis by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 12,884 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,254,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 16,682 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,623,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Novartis by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,161 shares of the company’s stock valued at $405,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Novartis by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Angeles Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,249 shares of the company’s stock worth $316,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heritage Family Offices LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 6,107 shares of the company’s stock worth $594,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE NVS opened at $108.68 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $229.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.60. Novartis AG has a 52-week low of $96.06 and a 52-week high of $120.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $110.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $105.89.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.12 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $13.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.92 billion. Novartis had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. The business’s revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.80 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.47%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. BNP Paribas raised Novartis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 8th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Novartis has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $123.38.

Novartis Profile

Novartis AG engages in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. The company offers prescription medicines for patients and physicians. It focuses on therapeutic areas, such as cardiovascular, renal and metabolic, immunology, neuroscience, and oncology, as well as ophthalmology and hematology.