Novartis (NYSE:NVS) Upgraded at Argus

Key Points

• Argus upgraded Novartis to a "Buy" from "Hold" with a $180 price target, implying roughly an 11.36% upside from the current share price.
• Novartis slightly beat quarterly expectations (EPS $2.03 vs. $1.99; revenue $13.86B), trades around $161.64 with a $341.45B market cap, and holds a MarketBeat consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $131.80.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Argus from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report released on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm presently has a $180.00 price objective on the stock. Argus' target price would indicate a potential upside of 11.36% from the company's current price.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on NVS. TD Cowen reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Bank of America upgraded Novartis from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Barclays raised Novartis from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, DZ Bank lowered Novartis from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Novartis presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $131.80.

Novartis Stock Performance

NVS stock opened at $161.64 on Wednesday. Novartis has a 1-year low of $97.71 and a 1-year high of $170.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $153.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $137.80. The firm has a market cap of $341.45 billion, a PE ratio of 22.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.49.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $2.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.99 by $0.04. Novartis had a return on equity of 40.53% and a net margin of 25.65%.The business had revenue of $13.86 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.85 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.98 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Novartis will post 8.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Novartis

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Arlington Trust Co LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. CrossGen Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Valley Wealth Managers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Novartis in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust grew its holdings in shares of Novartis by 425.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 231 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Novartis during the third quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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