Novartis (NYSE:NVS) Upgraded at Argus

Argus upgraded shares of Novartis (NYSE:NVS) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Wednesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm currently has $180.00 target price on the stock.

NVS has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Bank of America raised Novartis from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Novartis from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $131.80.

Novartis Price Performance

NVS opened at $153.46 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $324.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.43, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a 50-day moving average of $154.36 and a 200-day moving average of $138.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.12. Novartis has a 1-year low of $97.71 and a 1-year high of $170.46.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $13.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.85 billion. Novartis had a net margin of 25.65% and a return on equity of 40.53%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.98 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Novartis will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 11th will be given a $4.773 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 11th. This represents a yield of 306.0%. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.30%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. CrossGen Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. acquired a new position in Novartis during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

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.