Tweedy Browne Co LLC Has $8.09 Million Stock Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Tweedy Browne Co LLC reduced its position in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 83,141 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,206 shares during the period. Novartis comprises 0.5% of Tweedy Browne Co LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Tweedy Browne Co LLC’s holdings in Novartis were worth $8,090,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 17.4% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,002,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $194,908,000 after buying an additional 296,950 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Novartis by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,353,412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $155,669,000 after purchasing an additional 70,314 shares during the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC boosted its position in Novartis by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 1,161,139 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,990,000 after purchasing an additional 52,044 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at $88,339,000. Finally, Truist Financial Corp raised its position in shares of Novartis by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 771,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,090,000 after purchasing an additional 27,092 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NVS has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. StockNews.com raised Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 8th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. HSBC cut Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $123.38.

Novartis Stock Performance

NYSE:NVS opened at $111.48 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04. Novartis AG has a fifty-two week low of $92.35 and a fifty-two week high of $120.92. The company has a market cap of $227.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.96, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $108.20 and a 200-day moving average price of $107.10.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given 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 42.69%.

Novartis Company 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.