Research Analysts Issue Forecasts for Novartis Q1 Earnings

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research cut their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Novartis in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, March 24th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $2.11 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $2.17. The consensus estimate for Novartis’ current full-year earnings is $8.45 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Novartis’ Q3 2026 earnings at $2.28 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $8.85 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $10.92 EPS.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $13.86 billion during 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%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.98 earnings per share. Novartis’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Novartis to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Novartis from $143.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Argus upgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Novartis from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $141.20.

Novartis Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:NVS opened at $149.60 on Thursday. Novartis has a 1 year low of $97.71 and a 1 year high of $170.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $316.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The business’s 50-day moving average is $155.81 and its 200 day moving average is $139.65.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novartis

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Arlington Trust Co LLC acquired a new position in Novartis in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. CrossGen Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust raised its stake in shares of Novartis by 425.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 231 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the period. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Novartis during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 13.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.