Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the sixteen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have assigned a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $141.20.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Novartis to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, DZ Bank cut shares of Novartis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

Novartis Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of Novartis stock opened at $148.00 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $282.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.20, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Novartis has a 12-month low of $107.96 and a 12-month high of $170.46. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $150.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $144.91.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by ($0.12). The firm had revenue of $13.52 billion for 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%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.28 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Novartis will post 8.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.