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

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the sixteen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $153.00.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on NVS. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Friday, July 24th. HSBC set a $136.00 price target on Novartis in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday. They set a “sector perform” rating on the stock. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Novartis

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Archer Investment Corp boosted its stake in shares of Novartis by 93.0% in 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 last quarter. Highland Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Novartis by 552.0% during the second quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 163 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. Atlatl Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Novartis in the second quarter worth $26,000. Finally, CrossGen Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Novartis in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE:NVS opened at $137.22 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $154.18 and a 200-day moving average of $153.00. The company has a market cap of $261.84 billion, a PE ratio of 20.70, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 0.45. Novartis has a one year low of $121.57 and a one year high of $170.46.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced 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 for the quarter. Novartis had a net margin of 23.29% and a return on equity of 38.56%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Novartis will post 8.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Novartis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The stock showed signs of rebounding after its steep selloff, suggesting some investors may view the decline as an overreaction and remain confident in Novartis’s established medicines portfolio. Novartis Rebounds as $30 Billion Wipeout Draws Board Challenge
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focusing on how Novartis deployed roughly $30 billion in recent deals, as several acquired programs have encountered clinical setbacks. The scrutiny could lead to changes in capital-allocation priorities, deal approval processes or board composition. Focus: Novartis investors turn spotlight on M&A after trial setbacks
• Negative Sentiment: Experimental drug del-desiran failed to produce a statistically significant improvement in a late-stage trial for myotonic dystrophy type 1. The failure removes a potentially important growth asset and adds to concerns about Novartis’s pipeline. Drug Trial Setbacks Raise Questions Over Novartis’s Growth Pipeline
• Negative Sentiment: Del-desiran was the second major trial setback in a short period, contributing to a sharp weekly selloff and making investors question whether acquisitions are generating sufficient pipeline value. Deutsche Bank responded by cutting its view on the stock. Novartis extends selloff as Deutsche Bank cuts on twin drug trial setbacks
• Negative Sentiment: A major shareholder has called for a board shake-up, arguing that stronger oversight is needed after the trial failures and share-price decline. The challenge adds reputational and execution risk for management. Major Novartis shareholder calls for board shake-up after drug trial setbacks

About Novartis

Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS) is a Switzerland-based pharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing innovative medicines. The company’s portfolio addresses major disease areas including cardiovascular, renal and metabolic conditions, immunology, neuroscience, oncology and hematology.

Novartis markets medicines such as Entresto for certain heart conditions, Cosentyx for inflammatory diseases, Kisqali for breast cancer, Kesimpta for multiple sclerosis, Leqvio for cholesterol management, Pluvicto for certain prostate cancers and Scemblix for chronic myeloid leukemia.