Research Analysts Set Expectations for Novartis Q1 Earnings

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2027 earnings estimates for shares of Novartis in a research report issued on Wednesday, February 18th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $2.43 for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $2.08. The consensus estimate for Novartis’ current full-year earnings is $8.45 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Novartis’ Q2 2027 earnings at $2.46 EPS and Q3 2027 earnings at $2.44 EPS.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. 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 40.53% and a net margin of 25.65%.The company had revenue of $13.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.85 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.98 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Barclays raised Novartis from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. HC Wainwright downgraded shares of Novartis to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Novartis from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Friday, February 6th. Cfra set a $126.00 price objective on shares of Novartis and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Novartis from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $119.75.

Novartis Stock Performance

NVS opened at $162.76 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $146.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $133.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $343.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.50. Novartis has a 12-month low of $97.71 and a 12-month high of $167.86.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Novartis

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in Novartis by 14.9% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 8,876,906 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,223,860,000 after buying an additional 1,148,033 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 39.6% in the fourth quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 3,158,122 shares of the company’s stock valued at $435,414,000 after acquiring an additional 895,255 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $108,638,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its position in Novartis by 77.7% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,648,174 shares of the company’s stock worth $211,362,000 after acquiring an additional 720,860 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Novartis by 116.0% during the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 960,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $132,446,000 after acquiring an additional 515,999 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Announces Dividend

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

Key Novartis News

Here are the key news stories impacting Novartis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: President Trump said he met Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan and highlighted the company is building 11 U.S. manufacturing plants — a signal of stronger U.S. production footprint, potential government support and on‑shoring that can reduce supply risk and support future sales. Trump meets Novartis CEO, says drugmaker building 11 US plants
• Positive Sentiment: Novartis is making a major R&D/portfolio bet — a $1.8 billion investment in oral peptide programs — which could expand its pipeline into high‑value modalities if clinical progress continues. This is growth‑oriented spending that investors may view positively for long‑term upside. Novartis Makes $1.8 Billion Bet On Oral Peptides
• Neutral Sentiment: Novartis agreed to sell its ~70.7% holding in its listed Indian unit to a consortium (WaveRise, ChrysCapital, Two Infinity) for about $159M — a sizeable strategic divestment geographically but small relative to Novartis’ market cap; it reduces direct India exposure and will free up capital, though near‑term earnings impact is modest. Novartis to sell entire 71% stake in Indian unit to consortium of WaveRise Investments
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst revisions from Zacks are mixed but tilted downward overall: Zacks issued multiple cuts to quarterly and FY2026/2027 EPS estimates (several Q2/Q3 and FY reductions), which can pressure sentiment and imply lower near‑term earnings growth expectations. These downgrades are likely the primary short‑term negative driver.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary pieces (e.g., Yahoo Finance stock look) provide broader context but contain no single catalyst; useful for long‑term perspective but not a direct price driver today. Where is Novartis AG (NVS) Headed?

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.