Novartis (NYSE:NVS) Upgraded at Sanford C. Bernstein

Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Novartis (NYSE:NVS) to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. DZ Bank downgraded shares of Novartis from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays raised shares of Novartis from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Argus raised shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Novartis from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $131.80.

Novartis Price Performance

Shares of NYSE NVS opened at $145.92 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.12. Novartis has a fifty-two week low of $97.71 and a fifty-two week high of $170.46. The stock has a market cap of $308.23 billion, a PE ratio of 20.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.49. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $155.33 and a 200-day moving average of $139.16.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $2.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.04. Novartis had a return on equity of 40.53% and a net margin of 25.65%.The business had revenue of $13.86 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.98 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Novartis will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed an annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 11th were issued a $4.773 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 306.0%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 11th. Novartis’s payout ratio is presently 43.02%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novartis

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Novartis by 76.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $599,000 after buying an additional 2,666 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 102.8% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 22,573 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,516,000 after acquiring an additional 11,444 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in Novartis during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,764,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Novartis by 48.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 7,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $963,000 after acquiring an additional 2,581 shares during the period. Finally, Schnieders Capital Management LLC. bought a new position in Novartis during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $202,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Novartis

Here are the key news stories impacting Novartis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Novartis agreed to acquire SNV4818, a pan‑mutant‑selective PI3Kα inhibitor, for $2 billion upfront and up to $1 billion in milestones — a deal that expands its HR+/HER2‑ breast cancer and precision‑oncology pipeline and adds a potential high‑value oncology asset. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerage coverage remains constructive overall: analyst consensus is a “Moderate Buy,” which supports investor confidence in the shares despite short‑term volatility. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein moved its rating to “hold” — a modest, neutral signal that suggests some analysts see less upside near term even as pipeline moves are positive. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: The U.S. FDA flagged a potential seizure risk for certain Parkinson’s drugs and asked manufacturers to update labels — an industry‑wide safety alert that can increase regulatory scrutiny and short‑term selling pressure on pharma stocks; the direct impact on Novartis depends on its Parkinson’s portfolio exposure. Read More.

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.