China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. Has $4.96 Million Holdings in Novartis AG $NVS

Key Points

• China Universal Asset Management increased its stake in Novartis by 80% in Q4 to 36,000 shares, valued at about $4.96 million.
• Novartis beat Q4 estimates with EPS of $2.03 (vs. $1.99 expected) and revenue of $13.86 billion, up 1.4% year-over-year; analysts project $8.9 EPS for the current year.
• Novartis paid an annual dividend of $4.773 (payout ratio 43.02%); the stock carries a consensus "Hold" rating with a $141.20 target, trading near a P/E of 20.6 and a market cap of about $281.4 billion.

China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) by 80.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 36,000 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 16,000 shares during the quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Novartis were worth $4,963,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Abundance Wealth Counselors increased its position in Novartis by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors now owns 16,927 shares of the company's stock worth $2,334,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Novartis by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,230 shares of the company's stock worth $307,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 39.0% during the third quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 271 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Valmark Advisers Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 8,802 shares of the company's stock worth $1,214,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 1.7% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,763 shares of the company's stock worth $611,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Novartis Stock Performance

NYSE:NVS opened at $147.50 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The stock has a market cap of $281.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.60, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.52. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $156.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $143.30. Novartis AG has a 1-year low of $104.93 and a 1-year high of $170.46.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $13.86 billion during 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 firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.98 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.9 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared an annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 11th were paid a $4.773 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 306.0%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 11th. Novartis's payout ratio is 43.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on NVS shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Novartis from $143.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Argus raised Novartis from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $180.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Weiss Ratings raised Novartis from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Novartis to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Barclays raised Novartis from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $141.20.

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.

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