- Shareholders approve 29th consecutive dividend increase to CHF 3.70 (+5.7%) per share for 2025, representing a 3.0% yield¹
- Shareholders confirm Giovanni Caforio as Chair of the Board of Directors as well as all other members of the Board of Directors who stood for re-election; Charles Swanton newly elected as member of the Board of Directors
- Shareholders approve all other proposals by the Board of Directors, including the reduction of share capital, the 2025 report on nonfinancial matters and the 2025 Compensation Report, as well as the future Board and Executive Committee compensation in separate binding votes
Basel, March 6, 2026 – Novartis shareholders today agreed to the Board of Directors’ recommendations for all proposed resolutions at the company’s Annual General Meeting (AGM). A total of 1 554 shareholders were present at the meeting held in Basel, representing approximately 59.15% of the issued shares of Novartis.
With a dividend increase of 5.7% to CHF 3.70 per share, shareholders approved the 29th consecutive increase, resulting in a dividend yield of 3.0%¹. Payment of the 2025 dividend will be made from March 12, 2026.
Election of a new member of the Board of Directors
Shareholders have re-elected Giovanni Caforio as member of the Board of Directors and Board Chair.
In addition, shareholders elected Charles Swanton as new member of the Board of Directors. Daniel Hochstrasser did not stand for re-election. All other members of the Board of Directors have been re-elected. All elections and re-elections pertain to a term lasting until the completion of the next AGM.
Shareholders also re-elected all current members of the Compensation Committee and elected Elizabeth McNally as new member of the Compensation Committee, each until the end of the next AGM. With his re-election, Simon Moroney remains Chair of the Committee in line with the designation from the Board of Directors.
Reduction of share capital
Shareholders approved the proposal by the Board of Directors to cancel 77 602 358 shares and to reduce the share capital accordingly by CHF 38 025 155.42 (from CHF 1 035 086 714.83 to CHF 997 061 559.41).
Compensation for the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee
In two separate binding votes, shareholders approved the total maximum aggregate amount of compensation for the Board of Directors, covering the period from the 2026 AGM to the 2027 AGM, and the total maximum aggregate amount of compensation for the Executive Committee for the 2027 financial year. Shareholders further endorsed the 2025 Compensation Report in an advisory vote.
Resolutions
For a detailed listing of all resolutions at the 2026 AGM, please visit: https://novartis.com/agm
Disclaimer
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as “future,” “proposed,” “will,” or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding the potential future impact of the matters described in this press release, including the future commercial performance of Novartis, future reductions in share capital, the annual re-election and election of members of the Board of Directors and committees of the Board, and votes on compensation for the members of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs and expectations of management regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee as to the ultimate outcome of the matters described in this press release or their potential impact on Novartis. In particular, our expectations regarding these matters could be affected by, among other things, uncertainties concerning: global healthcare cost containment; the success of key products, commercial priorities and strategy; research and development of new products; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; our ability to realize the strategic benefits, operational efficiencies or opportunities expected from our external business opportunities; the development or adoption of new technologies, including artificial intelligence; potential significant breaches of information security; major macroeconomic and geo- and socio-political developments, including the impact of any potential tariffs on our products or the impact of war in certain parts of the world; and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG’s most recently filed Form 20-F and in subsequent reports filed with, or furnished to, the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
About Novartis
Novartis is an innovative medicines company. Every day, we work to reimagine medicine to improve and extend people’s lives so that patients, healthcare professionals and societies are empowered in the face of serious disease. Our medicines reach more than 300 million people worldwide.
Reimagine medicine with us: Visit us at https://www.novartis.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, X/Twitter and Instagram.
References
1. Based on the Novartis SIX Swiss Exchange closing share price of CHF 124.82 on March 5, 2026
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