Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the sixteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research 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 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $141.20.

NVS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 12th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Novartis to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Argus raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th.

Novartis Stock Performance

NYSE NVS opened at $145.98 on Friday. Novartis has a fifty-two week low of $104.93 and a fifty-two week high of $170.46. The stock has a market cap of $278.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.46. The business has a fifty day moving average of $153.19 and a 200-day moving average of $144.31. 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 (NYSE:NVS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 27th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by ($0.12). Novartis had a return on equity of 38.82% and a net margin of 24.87%.The company had revenue of $13.52 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.44 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.28 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down .9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Novartis will post 8.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Novartis

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Novartis by 76.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $599,000 after purchasing an additional 2,666 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Novartis by 102.8% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 22,573 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,516,000 after purchasing an additional 11,444 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in Novartis in the first quarter valued at $1,764,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Novartis by 48.0% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 7,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $963,000 after purchasing an additional 2,581 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. acquired a new position in Novartis in the second quarter valued at $202,000. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Novartis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its earnings estimate for Q3 2026 to $2.30 from $2.28, suggesting slightly better mid-year profitability expectations.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research increased its Q4 2026 EPS forecast to $2.23 from $2.08, a meaningful upward revision for late-2026 earnings.
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group Bank also nudged up its FY2027 EPS estimate to $9.77 from $9.74, reinforcing a generally constructive longer-term view. Novartis stock page
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst consensus still calls for FY2026 EPS of $8.86, while Zacks’ revised FY2026 estimate of $8.75 remains close to that level, indicating expectations are largely intact.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut Q2 2026 EPS to $2.24 from $2.37 and trimmed FY2026 guidance, which may temper enthusiasm about near-term growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Additional reductions to Q1 2027, Q2 2027, and Q4 2027 estimates point to some caution around future earnings momentum.

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.