The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Has $5.68 Million Stock Holdings in Novartis AG $NVS

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company reduced its stake in shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) by 39.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 37,202 shares of the company’s stock after selling 24,216 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in Novartis were worth $5,683,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of NVS. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Novartis by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 10,577 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,348,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Roundview Capital LLC lifted its position in Novartis by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 2,711 shares of the company’s stock valued at $374,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in Novartis by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. now owns 710 shares of the company’s stock valued at $98,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors boosted its stake in Novartis by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors now owns 16,927 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,334,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Finally, Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Novartis by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,230 shares of the company’s stock worth $307,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on NVS shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven 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 an average target price of $141.20.

Trending Headlines about Novartis

Here are the key news stories impacting Novartis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its FY2026 EPS forecast to $8.82 from $8.75, moving closer to the broader consensus estimate of $8.85. The firm also lifted its Q2 2027 forecast to $2.52 from $2.45 and Q2 2028 to $2.71 from $2.65, supporting the view that Novartis can maintain earnings growth beyond 2026. Novartis analyst estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks continues to project annual EPS growth, with estimates of $9.67 for FY2027 and $10.62 for FY2028 versus $8.82 for FY2026. However, the revisions were mixed rather than uniformly positive, making the near-term earnings outlook less decisive for investors. Novartis analyst estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks lowered forecasts for Q3 2026 EPS to $2.22 from $2.30, Q4 2026 to $2.20 from $2.23, Q1 2027 to $2.31 from $2.41, and Q3 2027 to $2.44 from $2.49. It also cut FY2027 EPS to $9.67 from $9.73 and FY2028 to $10.62 from $10.91, indicating some pressure on expected earnings momentum. Novartis analyst estimates

Novartis Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:NVS opened at $154.60 on Thursday. Novartis AG has a 12-month low of $113.48 and a 12-month high of $170.46. The business has a 50 day moving average of $152.81 and a 200-day moving average of $153.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The stock has a market cap of $295.00 billion, a PE ratio of 23.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.45.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The company reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $14.95 billion during the quarter. Novartis had a return on equity of 38.56% and a net margin of 23.29%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Novartis AG will post 8.86 earnings per share for the current year.

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.