Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the sixteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have given a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $141.20.

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Novartis to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Novartis from $143.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Novartis from a “buy (a-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Novartis

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Archer Investment Corp grew its position in shares of Novartis by 93.0% during the 1st quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 166 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Arlington Trust Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. CrossGen Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 425.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NVS stock opened at $148.30 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $149.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $147.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market cap of $282.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.25, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.46. Novartis has a 12 month low of $112.34 and a 12 month high of $170.46.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The company reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by ($0.12). The firm had revenue of $13.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.44 billion. Novartis had a return on equity of 38.82% and a net margin of 24.87%.Novartis’s revenue for the quarter was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.28 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Novartis will post 8.83 EPS for the current year.

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.