Erste Group Bank Forecasts Increased Earnings for Novartis

Key Points

• Erste Group Bank raised its FY2026 EPS forecast for Novartis to $9.14, up from $8.99 and above the analyst consensus of $8.85.
• Novartis reported quarterly EPS of $2.41 on revenue of $14.95 billion, with a 23.29% net margin and 38.56% return on equity.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with six Buy ratings and ten Holds, resulting in a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $153.

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) - Research analysts at Erste Group Bank boosted their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Novartis in a report issued on Friday, September 18th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $9.14 for the year, up from their previous forecast of $8.99. The consensus estimate for Novartis' current full-year earnings is $8.85 per share.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The company reported $2.41 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $14.95 billion for the quarter. Novartis had a net margin of 23.29% and a return on equity of 38.56%.

NVS has been the subject of a number of other reports. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. HSBC upgraded Novartis from a "reduce" rating to a "hold" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $123.00 to $136.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Novartis from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, September 8th. They set a "sector perform" rating for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Novartis has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $153.00.

Novartis Stock Performance

NYSE NVS opened at $141.28 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $269.58 billion, a PE ratio of 21.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 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. Novartis has a 52-week low of $121.57 and a 52-week high of $170.46. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $152.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $151.79.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Silicon Valley Capital Partners increased its position in shares of Novartis by 519.4% during the second quarter. Silicon Valley Capital Partners now owns 192 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. Engineers Gate Manager LP purchased a new position in Novartis during the second quarter valued at approximately $4,529,000. NorthRock Partners LLC increased its holdings in Novartis by 19.6% during the 2nd quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 2,692 shares of the company's stock worth $422,000 after acquiring an additional 442 shares during the period. RFG Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Novartis by 35.3% during the 2nd quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 4,861 shares of the company's stock worth $762,000 after acquiring an additional 1,269 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Novartis by 0.3% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 76,213 shares of the company's stock worth $11,944,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Novartis Company Profile

Novartis AG NYSE: NVS is a Switzerland-based pharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing innovative medicines. The company's portfolio addresses major disease areas including cardiovascular, renal and metabolic conditions, immunology, neuroscience, oncology and hematology.

Novartis markets medicines such as Entresto for certain heart conditions, Cosentyx for inflammatory diseases, Kisqali for breast cancer, Kesimpta for multiple sclerosis, Leqvio for cholesterol management, Pluvicto for certain prostate cancers and Scemblix for chronic myeloid leukemia.

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