Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. Acquires Shares of 15,061 Novartis AG $NVS

Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 15,061 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,931,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc purchased a new stake in Novartis in the 3rd quarter worth $210,000. Avalon Trust Co grew its position in shares of Novartis by 29.0% in the third quarter. Avalon Trust Co now owns 1,590 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,000 after purchasing an additional 357 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 6.0% during the third quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 161,147 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,665,000 after purchasing an additional 9,081 shares in the last quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Novartis by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $265,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT raised its position in shares of Novartis by 23.4% during the 3rd quarter. Alliance Wealth Advisors LLC UT now owns 4,331 shares of the company’s stock worth $555,000 after purchasing an additional 820 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on NVS shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Novartis from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Cfra set a $126.00 price target on Novartis and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Barclays raised Novartis from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. HC Wainwright cut shares of Novartis to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $119.75.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of Novartis stock opened at $162.76 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $146.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $134.23. The company has a market cap of $343.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.73, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.12. Novartis AG has a one year low of $97.71 and a one year high of $167.86.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.04. Novartis had a return on equity of 40.53% and a net margin of 25.65%.The business had revenue of $13.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.85 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.98 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 11th will be paid a dividend of $4.773 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 11th. This represents a yield of 312.0%. Novartis’s payout ratio is 36.31%.

Key Headlines Impacting Novartis

Here are the key news stories impacting Novartis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: President Trump said he met Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan and highlighted the company is building 11 U.S. manufacturing plants — a signal of stronger U.S. production footprint, potential government support and on‑shoring that can reduce supply risk and support future sales. Trump meets Novartis CEO, says drugmaker building 11 US plants
• Positive Sentiment: Novartis is making a major R&D/portfolio bet — a $1.8 billion investment in oral peptide programs — which could expand its pipeline into high‑value modalities if clinical progress continues. This is growth‑oriented spending that investors may view positively for long‑term upside. Novartis Makes $1.8 Billion Bet On Oral Peptides
• Neutral Sentiment: Novartis agreed to sell its ~70.7% holding in its listed Indian unit to a consortium (WaveRise, ChrysCapital, Two Infinity) for about $159M — a sizeable strategic divestment geographically but small relative to Novartis’ market cap; it reduces direct India exposure and will free up capital, though near‑term earnings impact is modest. Novartis to sell entire 71% stake in Indian unit to consortium of WaveRise Investments
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst revisions from Zacks are mixed but tilted downward overall: Zacks issued multiple cuts to quarterly and FY2026/2027 EPS estimates (several Q2/Q3 and FY reductions), which can pressure sentiment and imply lower near‑term earnings growth expectations. These downgrades are likely the primary short‑term negative driver.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary pieces (e.g., Yahoo Finance stock look) provide broader context but contain no single catalyst; useful for long‑term perspective but not a direct price driver today. Where is Novartis AG (NVS) Headed?

Novartis Company Profile

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.