Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Novartis AG has an average analyst recommendation of "Hold" from 16 brokerages, with seven buy ratings, seven hold ratings, and two sell ratings. The average 12-month price target is $141.20.
• The stock was last quoted at $156.32, up 2.1%, and Novartis has a market capitalization of about $298.29 billion. Its shares have traded between $112.34 and $170.46 over the past year.
• In its most recent quarterly results, Novartis reported $2.41 EPS on $14.95 billion in revenue. Analysts expect the company to post 8.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the sixteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $141.20.

NVS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Novartis from a "buy (a-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Novartis from $143.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Novartis

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of NVS. BXM Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 726.9% during the fourth quarter. BXM Wealth LLC now owns 42,817 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,903,000 after acquiring an additional 37,639 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Novartis by 2,561.0% in the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 38,983 shares of the company's stock worth $5,375,000 after acquiring an additional 37,518 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Novartis by 14.4% in 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 lifted its position in Novartis by 401.0% in the 4th quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 54,741 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,547,000 after purchasing an additional 43,814 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in 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 last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Stock Up 2.1%

NYSE:NVS opened at $156.32 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.86. The company has a market capitalization of $298.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.45. Novartis has a one year low of $112.34 and a one year high of $170.46. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $151.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $152.11.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, June 30th. The company reported $2.41 EPS for the quarter. Novartis had a return on equity of 38.56% and a net margin of 23.29%.The company had revenue of $14.95 billion for the quarter. Sell-side analysts predict that Novartis will post 8.75 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.

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