Zacks Research Comments on Novartis’ Q1 Earnings (NYSE:NVS)

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for Novartis in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will post earnings of $2.17 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $2.26. The consensus estimate for Novartis’ current full-year earnings is $8.45 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Novartis’ Q2 2026 earnings at $2.37 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.08 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $8.86 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.44 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $9.77 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $10.94 EPS.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on NVS. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Novartis from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Cfra set a $126.00 price target on shares of Novartis and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of Novartis from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Novartis has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $119.75.

Novartis Price Performance

NYSE:NVS opened at $165.50 on Thursday. Novartis has a one year low of $97.71 and a one year high of $167.86. The stock has a market cap of $349.61 billion, a PE ratio of 23.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 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. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $145.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $133.45.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $13.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.85 billion. Novartis had a net margin of 25.65% and a return on equity of 40.53%. The business’s revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.98 EPS.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of Novartis

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. CrossGen Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Novartis in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. purchased a new stake in Novartis during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Bank of Jackson Hole Trust lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 425.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

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.