Novartis (NYSE:NVS) Rating Increased to Hold at Sanford C. Bernstein

Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Novartis (NYSE:NVS) to a hold rating in a research note released on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on NVS. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Argus raised shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Novartis from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Novartis currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $131.80.

Novartis Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of Novartis stock opened at $145.92 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $155.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $139.07. The company has a market cap of $308.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.49. Novartis has a fifty-two week low of $97.71 and a fifty-two week high of $170.46. 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 (NYSE:NVS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.04. Novartis had a net margin of 25.65% and a return on equity of 40.53%. The business had revenue of $13.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.85 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.98 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Novartis will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novartis

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Novartis by 76.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,153 shares of the company’s stock worth $599,000 after acquiring an additional 2,666 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Novartis by 102.8% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 22,573 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,516,000 after acquiring an additional 11,444 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in Novartis in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,764,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 48.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 7,959 shares of the company’s stock worth $963,000 after purchasing an additional 2,581 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $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: Acquisition boosts oncology pipeline — Novartis agreed to acquire Synnovation’s SNV4818, a pan‑mutant‑selective PI3Kα inhibitor being developed for HR+/HER2‑ breast cancer, for $2B upfront and up to $1B in milestones: a clear long‑term pipeline and revenue growth play. Novartis to buy breast cancer drug candidate from Synnovation
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage consensus supports upside but not unanimously bullish — Analysts aggregate a “Moderate Buy” rating on NVS, which underpins investor confidence but suggests tempered near‑term expectations. Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages
• Negative Sentiment: Sector safety alert could drag sentiment — The U.S. FDA flagged a potential seizure risk for certain Parkinson’s drugs and asked manufacturers to add warnings; while not specific to Novartis, the notice weighs on investor appetite for drug stocks and raises regulatory/safety sensitivity in the sector. US FDA flags seizure risk with certain Parkinson’s drugs, seeks label warnings

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.