Novartis AG to Post FY2026 Earnings of $8.47 Per Share, Zacks Research Forecasts (NYSE:NVS)

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research boosted their FY2026 earnings estimates for shares of Novartis in a report issued on Monday, April 22nd. Zacks Research analyst E. Bagri now forecasts that the company will earn $8.47 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $8.36. The consensus estimate for Novartis’ current full-year earnings is $7.13 per share.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.64 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $11.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.69 billion. Novartis had a return on equity of 29.90% and a net margin of 29.83%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.51 earnings per share.

NVS has been the topic of a number of other reports. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $114.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, January 23rd. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $114.00 price objective on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $114.00.

Novartis Price Performance

Novartis stock opened at $97.29 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $198.86 billion, a PE ratio of 13.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.47 and a beta of 0.54. Novartis has a 52-week low of $92.19 and a 52-week high of $108.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company’s 50 day moving average is $97.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $98.99.

Novartis Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Investors of record on Friday, March 8th were given a $3.7772 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 3.1%. This is an increase from Novartis’s previous annual dividend of $3.47. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 7th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.84%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Godsey & Gibb Inc. grew its position in shares of Novartis by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Godsey & Gibb Inc. now owns 197,265 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,081,000 after buying an additional 1,629 shares during the last quarter. Busey Bank grew its position in shares of Novartis by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Busey Bank now owns 4,139 shares of the company’s stock valued at $400,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC grew its position in Novartis by 53.5% during the 1st quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 3,384 shares of the company’s stock worth $327,000 after purchasing an additional 1,179 shares during the last quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC purchased a new position in Novartis during the 1st quarter worth $4,804,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in Novartis by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 60,625 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,864,000 after purchasing an additional 1,490 shares during the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Novartis

Novartis AG engages in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. The company offers prescription medicines for patients and physicians. It focuses on therapeutic areas, such as cardiovascular, renal and metabolic, immunology, neuroscience, and oncology, as well as ophthalmology and hematology.