Novartis (NYSE:NVS) Hits New 52-Week High Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as high as $154.66 and last traded at $154.3920, with a volume of 513427 shares. The stock had previously closed at $149.86.

The company reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.99 by $0.04. Novartis had a return on equity of 41.21% and a net margin of 26.49%.The business had revenue of $524.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.98 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis.

Key Novartis News

Here are the key news stories impacting Novartis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat on EPS and margin strength — Novartis reported adjusted EPS above consensus and saw margin expansion, supporting profitability expectations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Strong full-year performance — FY2025 net sales grew ~8% (cc), core operating margin ~40%, core EPS rose high-teens and free cash flow remained very strong, giving investors confidence in cash generation and resilience. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline and regulatory progress — Multiple late-stage and approval milestones (Remibrutinib FDA submission, Pelabresib Phase III data and planned filings, Itvisma approval, Scemblix EC approval, Pluvicto filings) underpin future growth potential. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — Major analysts kept Buy ratings and reiterated price targets, signaling that near-term headwinds are viewed as manageable versus long-term fundamentals. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: 2026 guidance is cautious — the company expects net sales to grow only low-single-digits and core operating income to decline low-single-digits, which tempers near-term earnings momentum but is not a dramatic cut. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 revenue missed estimates and was hit by U.S. generics — report shows Q4 net sales were pressured by generic entrants to Entresto and Promacta, and adjusted Q4 sales fell vs. prior year in constant currency. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Patent cliff and margin risk — Novartis faces significant patent expiries and generic competition that are expected to weigh on 2026 operating profit; investors should watch Entresto/Promacta erosion and timing of new launches to offset the losses. Read More.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on NVS. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, November 10th. HSBC restated a “reduce” rating and set a $112.00 target price on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Barclays raised Novartis from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $119.75.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novartis

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Abundance Wealth Counselors grew its position in Novartis by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors now owns 16,927 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,334,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Novartis by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,230 shares of the company’s stock worth $307,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. increased its stake in Novartis by 39.0% during the third quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 271 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Valmark Advisers Inc. raised its holdings in Novartis by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 8,802 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,214,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $611,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $323.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $139.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $130.36.

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.