What is Zacks Research’s Estimate for Novartis Q1 Earnings?

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research lowered their Q1 2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Novartis in a research report issued on Tuesday, March 24th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will post earnings of $2.42 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $2.43. The consensus estimate for Novartis’ current full-year earnings is $8.45 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Novartis’ Q3 2027 earnings at $2.47 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $9.79 EPS.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $13.86 billion 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.98 earnings per share.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on NVS. Argus upgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $180.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Novartis to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Barclays raised Novartis from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Novartis from $143.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $141.20.

Novartis Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of NVS opened at $148.30 on Friday. Novartis has a fifty-two week low of $97.71 and a fifty-two week high of $170.46. The firm has a market cap of $313.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.71, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.49. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $155.88 and a 200-day moving average price of $139.79. 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 Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of Novartis

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Arlington Trust Co LLC purchased a new position in Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. CrossGen Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust boosted 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 valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novartis during the third quarter valued at about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Novartis this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strategic pipeline lift — acquisition adds Exl‑111, a next‑generation anti‑IgE candidate designed to dissociate receptor‑bound IgE and potentially deliver faster, deeper suppression across food allergy, urticaria and asthma; strengthens Novartis’ allergy franchise and long‑term growth optionality. Novartis press release
• Positive Sentiment: Third‑party validation of strategic rationale — Zacks and other outlets highlight the deal as a targeted move to shore up Novartis’ immunology/allergy pipeline, giving the company a potentially differentiated asset in an established biology area. Zacks: Novartis bolsters immunology pipeline
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade/price target lift — Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $170 and moved to overweight, suggesting upside based on the company’s pipeline and strategic M&A. That supports a constructive medium‑term view despite near‑term noise. Benzinga: Morgan Stanley raises PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Deal terms and timing — Novartis will pay up to $2.0B in upfront and milestone payments; transaction expected to close in H2 2026 subject to customary conditions. That sets clear milestone watches but implies multi‑year value realization. Reuters: Deal terms
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst caution on execution and timing — Goldman Sachs (via TipRanks) kept a Sell rating, citing long‑dated pipeline risk and looming loss‑of‑exclusivity (LOE) headwinds that the Excellergy add does not immediately offset; some investors may view the deal as expensive for an early‑stage asset. TipRanks: Goldman Sachs reaction

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.