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

Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the fifteen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation, five have given a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $119.75.

NVS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Cfra set a $126.00 price objective on Novartis and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Barclays raised Novartis from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, HSBC reiterated a “reduce” rating and issued a $112.00 price target on shares of Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th.

Novartis Stock Up 1.2%

NVS opened at $164.60 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.12. The company has a market capitalization of $347.70 billion, a PE ratio of 22.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.50. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $147.37 and its 200-day moving average is $134.57. Novartis has a one year low of $97.71 and a one year high of $167.86.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $2.03 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 firm had revenue of $13.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.98 earnings per share. Novartis’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Novartis will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 11th will be given a $4.773 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 312.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 11th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.31%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Novartis

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 10,577 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,348,000 after buying an additional 64 shares during the period. Roundview Capital LLC lifted its stake in Novartis by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 2,711 shares of the company’s stock worth $374,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in Novartis by 10.9% during the 4th quarter. IMA Advisory Services Inc. now owns 710 shares of the company’s stock worth $98,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Abundance Wealth Counselors grew its stake in Novartis by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors now owns 16,927 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,334,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Novartis by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Edge Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,230 shares of the company’s stock valued at $307,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

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.