Novartis (NYSE:NVS) Price Target Raised to $170.00 at Morgan Stanley

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) had its price objective raised by Morgan Stanley from $143.00 to $170.00 in a research report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the stock. Barclays raised shares of Novartis from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Novartis from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, December 8th. HSBC reaffirmed a “reduce” rating and issued a $112.00 price target on shares of Novartis in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Weiss Ratings raised Novartis from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $141.20.

Novartis Trading Down 0.8%

Novartis stock opened at $149.60 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $155.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $139.65. The company has a market capitalization of $316.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.49. Novartis has a 52 week low of $97.71 and a 52 week high of $170.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $2.03 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $13.86 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.85 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.98 EPS. Novartis’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Novartis will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared an annual dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 11th were given a dividend of $4.773 per share. This represents a yield of 306.0%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 11th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.02%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

Trending Headlines about Novartis

Here are the key news stories impacting Novartis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Novartis agreed to acquire Excellergy for up to $2.0 billion to add Exl‑111, a half‑life extended anti‑IgE candidate in Phase 1 that Novartis says could deliver faster, deeper IgE pathway suppression and broaden its allergy portfolio — transaction expected to close in H2 2026. This boosts mid‑stage immunology pipeline and reinforces allergy strategy. Excellergy acquisition Novartis agrees to acquire Excellergy
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade: Morgan Stanley raised its price target on NVS to $170 and moved to “overweight,” signaling a meaningful upside vs. the stock’s recent levels and lending near‑term buyside momentum. Benzinga: Morgan Stanley price target
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America (via TipRanks summary) reiterated a Buy on Novartis, citing late‑stage pipeline and upside from pelacarsen as support despite patent headwinds — another vote of confidence for the company’s longer‑term growth prospects. TipRanks: BofA Buy rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research issued mixed estimate changes: a small raise to Q3 2026 EPS but cuts to Q1 and some full‑year/longer‑term projections (minor adjustments overall). These tweaks slightly alter near‑term expectations but don’t materially change Novartis’ longer‑term consensus EPS (~$8.45). MarketBeat / Zacks estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive M&A headline: coverage noting Sarepta’s counter‑move in a separate muscular dystrophy deal (reported surge in Sarepta shares) suggests a contested M&A environment for related assets — this could increase deal costs or complicate Novartis’ other takeover efforts (reported in the press on 3/25). Investors view contested bids as a potential negative for deal economics and near‑term cash outflows. MSN: Sarepta / muscular dystrophy deal

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.