Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. Has $260,000 Holdings in Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS)

Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. decreased its holdings in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 8.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,675 shares of the company’s stock after selling 250 shares during the quarter. Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd.’s holdings in Novartis were worth $260,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in NVS. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in Novartis by 17.4% during the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 2,002,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $194,908,000 after purchasing an additional 296,950 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Novartis by 5.5% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,353,412 shares of the company’s stock worth $155,669,000 after buying an additional 70,314 shares in the last quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 1,161,139 shares of the company’s stock valued at $112,990,000 after acquiring an additional 52,044 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at $88,339,000. Finally, Truist Financial Corp grew its position in Novartis by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 771,655 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,090,000 after acquiring an additional 27,092 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Performance

NYSE:NVS opened at $112.69 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $230.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. Novartis AG has a twelve month low of $92.35 and a twelve month high of $120.92. The company has a fifty day moving average of $107.92 and a 200-day moving average of $107.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Novartis AG will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NVS has been the subject of several research reports. HSBC downgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating for the company. Three equities 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $123.38.

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.