Zacks Research Brokers Raise Earnings Estimates for Novartis

Key Points

• Zacks Research has raised its Q3 2025 earnings estimate for Novartis to $2.25 per share, slightly above the previous estimate of $2.24.
• Despite reporting a quarterly earnings beat of $2.42 per share compared to analyst expectations of $2.38, Novartis' stock fell by 2.6% following the announcement.
• BNP Paribas upgraded Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating amidst mixed ratings from analysts, with a consensus target price set at $123.67.

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q3 2025 earnings estimates for Novartis in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, July 31st. Zacks Research analyst E. Bagri now forecasts that the company will earn $2.25 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $2.24. The consensus estimate for Novartis' current full-year earnings is $8.45 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Novartis' Q4 2025 earnings at $2.09 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $9.04 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $2.69 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $9.33 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $10.08 EPS.

Separately, BNP Paribas raised shares of Novartis to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $123.67.

Novartis Stock Performance

Shares of NVS traded up $1.51 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $115.25. 1,927,789 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,958,642. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $117.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $111.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $243.46 billion, a PE ratio of 16.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.62. Novartis has a 52-week low of $96.06 and a 52-week high of $124.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The company reported $2.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.38 by $0.04. Novartis had a return on equity of 41.08% and a net margin of 25.64%. The firm had revenue of $14.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.94 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.97 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Trading of Novartis

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Essex Savings Bank raised its holdings in Novartis by 1.9% during the second quarter. Essex Savings Bank now owns 4,611 shares of the company's stock worth $558,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 1,541 shares of the company's stock worth $186,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in shares of Novartis by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 2,062 shares of the company's stock valued at $250,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP increased its stake in Novartis by 0.4% during the second quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 24,607 shares of the company's stock worth $2,978,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC lifted its position in Novartis by 1.2% during the second quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 7,749 shares of the company's stock valued at $938,000 after buying an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 13.12% of the company's stock.

Novartis Company Profile

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.