Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Plans $4.77 Annual Dividend

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) announced an annual dividend on Wednesday, February 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 11th will be given a dividend of 4.773 per share on Monday, March 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 312.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 11th.

Novartis has decreased its dividend by an average of 0.3%annually over the last three years. Novartis has a dividend payout ratio of 28.7% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Novartis to earn $8.81 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.59 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 29.4%.

Novartis Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:NVS traded up $0.84 on Thursday, hitting $153.75. 2,302,520 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,947,678. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $139.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $130.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a market cap of $324.79 billion, a PE ratio of 21.01, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.50. Novartis has a 52 week low of $97.71 and a 52 week high of $154.71.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $524.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.85 billion. Novartis had a net margin of 26.49% and a return on equity of 41.21%. Novartis’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.98 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Novartis will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Novartis

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC raised its holdings in Novartis by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 132,536 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,001,000 after purchasing an additional 6,924 shares during the period. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. increased its position in shares of Novartis by 15.6% in the third quarter. Lockheed Martin Investment Management Co. now owns 85,200 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,926,000 after buying an additional 11,500 shares in the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 13.2% during the 2nd quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 49,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,975,000 after buying an additional 5,742 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 27.7% during the 3rd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 64,760 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,305,000 after buying an additional 14,032 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dynasty Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,491,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

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.