Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the sixteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $141.20.

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Friday, July 24th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novartis

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BXM Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Novartis by 726.9% in the fourth quarter. BXM Wealth LLC now owns 42,817 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,903,000 after buying an additional 37,639 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management boosted its stake in Novartis by 2,561.0% in the fourth quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 38,983 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,375,000 after acquiring an additional 37,518 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in Novartis by 14.4% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 113,737 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,681,000 after acquiring an additional 14,352 shares during the period. HF Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of Novartis by 401.0% during the 4th quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 54,741 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,547,000 after acquiring an additional 43,814 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 36.6% in the 4th quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 14,815 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,043,000 after purchasing an additional 3,967 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NVS opened at $158.45 on Friday. Novartis has a twelve month low of $112.34 and a twelve month high of $170.46. The firm has a market cap of $302.35 billion, a PE ratio of 23.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.86. The business has a fifty day moving average of $152.58 and a 200-day moving average of $152.70.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The company reported $2.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Novartis had a net margin of 23.29% and a return on equity of 38.56%. The business had revenue of $14.95 billion for the quarter. On average, equities research analysts predict that Novartis will post 8.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.