Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Receives $131.80 Average PT from Brokerages

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) has earned an average rating of “Hold” from the seventeen brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $131.80.

NVS has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Novartis from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, DZ Bank cut Novartis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of Novartis stock opened at $148.09 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $312.83 billion, a PE ratio of 20.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. Novartis has a 12 month low of $97.71 and a 12 month high of $170.46. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $155.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $139.37.

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. Novartis had a return on equity of 40.53% and a net margin of 25.65%.The company had revenue of $13.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.85 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.98 EPS. Novartis’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Novartis will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 11th were issued a dividend of $4.773 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 11th. This represents a yield of 306.0%. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.02%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Novartis

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 0.6% in the fourth 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 boosted its position in Novartis by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 2,711 shares of the company’s stock valued at $374,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. IMA Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in Novartis by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. now owns 710 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors increased its position in shares of Novartis by 0.4% in 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 period. Finally, Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Novartis by 3.5% in 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 period. 13.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.