Novartis (NYSE:NVS) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on NVS. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday. Bank of America upgraded Novartis from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, October 27th. Cfra set a $126.00 target price on Novartis and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, November 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Novartis presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $119.75.

Novartis Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of Novartis stock opened at $156.41 on Friday. Novartis has a 1-year low of $97.71 and a 1-year high of $156.62. The company has a market capitalization of $330.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.85, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.50. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $140.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $130.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 0.68.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $524.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.85 billion. Novartis had a net margin of 25.65% and a return on equity of 40.53%. The company’s revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.98 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Novartis will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in NVS. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Novartis by 19.4% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $527,000 after acquiring an additional 622 shares in the last quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 36.0% in the fourth quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 3,785 shares of the company’s stock valued at $522,000 after purchasing an additional 1,002 shares in the last quarter. Keudell Morrison Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter worth $277,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Novartis by 210.8% during the fourth quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 24,651 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,398,000 after buying an additional 16,720 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Addison Advisors LLC raised its position in Novartis by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 3,153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $435,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. 13.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Novartis News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Novartis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat and 12‑month high — Novartis reported adjusted EPS of $2.03 vs. consensus $1.99 and the stock hit a new 12‑month high as investors took the beat and margin strength as a signal of underlying profitability. Novartis Reaches New 12-Month High Following Strong Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Record margins: management highlighted record core operating margins on the earnings call, helping offset topline softness and supporting EPS and free‑cash‑flow expectations. Novartis Earnings Call: Record Margins
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst target moved higher — at least one published target was increased (~11%), reinforcing the bullish reaction from the Street. Price Target Increased
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns — Novartis declared an annual dividend of $4.773/share (record Mar 11, pay Mar 16), and commentary noted ongoing buybacks that support EPS and valuation.
• Positive Sentiment: Pipeline and value thesis — analysts and investors point to a deep pipeline, upcoming clinical readouts and active buybacks as reasons Novartis may re‑rate from current multiples. Novartis: Value Price, Growth Pipeline
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcripts and slides available — full Q4 call transcript and the investor presentation provide detail on product trends, margin drivers and near‑term catalysts for modeling. Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript Q4 Results Presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss and generic pressure — Q4 revenue fell short as generic competition pressured Entresto and Promacta sales; revenue weakness is a near‑term headwind to top‑line growth expectations. Revenue Miss / Generic Pressure
• Negative Sentiment: ESG and sustainability risk flagged — Novartis disclosed new environmental/social risks that could affect reputation, financing or long‑term valuation if not addressed. ESG and Sustainability Risks

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.