John G Ullman & Associates Inc. Reduces Holdings in Novartis AG $NVS

John G Ullman & Associates Inc. decreased its position in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 97.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,980 shares of the company’s stock after selling 134,427 shares during the quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $382,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 1.7% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $611,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Novartis by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC now owns 9,394 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,205,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Inc. OK grew its stake in Novartis by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 2,027 shares of the company’s stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Glenview Trust co raised its holdings in Novartis by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 3,800 shares of the company’s stock valued at $460,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares during the period. Finally, Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 4.4% during the second quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 2,062 shares of the company’s stock worth $250,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on NVS. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday. Cfra set a $126.00 target price on Novartis and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Novartis from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Novartis presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $119.75.

Novartis Stock Performance

NYSE:NVS opened at $153.80 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $324.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.48, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $140.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $130.52. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $97.71 and a twelve month high of $154.95.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $524.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.85 billion. Novartis had a net margin of 25.65% and a return on equity of 41.70%. Novartis’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.98 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 11th will be issued 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 is presently 36.31%.

Key Stories Impacting Novartis

Here are the key news stories impacting Novartis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat and margin improvement — Novartis reported EPS above estimates and expanded core margins, supporting profitability expectations. MarketBeat Earnings Summary
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline progress and upcoming readouts — management highlighted multiple late-stage milestones (e.g., remibrutinib filing steps, Pluvicto and Scemblix advances) that support medium-term growth expectations. GlobeNewswire Q4 Release
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend and capital returns — the company announced an annual dividend increase and continues shareholder-friendly actions (buybacks), which supports investor sentiment. GlobeNewswire Dividend & Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst stance largely supportive — several firms (Citi, BofA) maintained Buy ratings and see EPS upside despite near-term headwinds, helping stabilize sentiment. TipRanks Analyst Notes
• Neutral Sentiment: Deep dives and investor materials available — full earnings call transcripts and slide decks were published for investors who want details on segment performance and assumptions. Earnings Call Transcript (MSN)
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss and generics pressure — Q4 sales missed estimates as U.S. generic entrants eroded Entresto and Promacta sales, changing near-term growth mix. Benzinga on Generics/Pipeline
• Negative Sentiment: Cautious 2026 guidance — management expects a low single-digit decline in core operating profit for 2026 due to generic competition, which caps near-term earnings momentum. Reuters Guidance Report
• Negative Sentiment: Patent expiries and ESG/sustainability risks — analysts flag a major upcoming patent cliff and new ESG disclosures that could weigh on reputation, pricing power and financing over time. TipRanks ESG Risk Note

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.