Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Receives Average Rating of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the ten research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $123.38.

Several research analysts have issued reports on NVS shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating on the stock. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. HSBC lowered shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novartis

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Human Investing LLC purchased a new position in Novartis during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new stake in Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA purchased a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Performance

NYSE:NVS opened at $111.46 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $227.82 billion, a PE ratio of 18.96, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $107.62 and its 200 day moving average is $107.29. Novartis has a fifty-two week low of $92.35 and a fifty-two week high of $120.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.04.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a net margin of 23.56% and a return on equity of 37.24%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Novartis will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s payout ratio is 42.69%.

About Novartis

Novartis AG engages in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing of healthcare products in Switzerland and internationally. The company offers prescription medicines for patients and physicians. It focuses on therapeutic areas, such as cardiovascular, renal and metabolic, immunology, neuroscience, and oncology, as well as ophthalmology and hematology.