Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC Boosts Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,547 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 403 shares during the quarter. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $1,221,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 26.9% during the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 89,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,668,000 after acquiring an additional 18,894 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 20.1% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,001,000 after buying an additional 5,164 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 135.5% in the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 39,976 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,598,000 after buying an additional 22,998 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter worth $239,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 13.7% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 157,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,088,000 after buying an additional 18,990 shares during the period. 13.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NVS stock opened at $112.24 on Tuesday. Novartis AG has a 12 month low of $92.35 and a 12 month high of $120.92. The stock has a market cap of $229.41 billion, a PE ratio of 19.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $105.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $107.54.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. On average, equities analysts expect that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NVS has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. HSBC downgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Novartis presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.