Novartis (NVS) Competitors

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) and Novartis (NYSE:NVS) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, media sentiment, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation and profitability.

Does the media prefer NVO or NVS?

In the previous week, Novo Nordisk A/S had 45 more articles in the media than Novartis. MarketBeat recorded 66 mentions for Novo Nordisk A/S and 21 mentions for Novartis. Novartis' average media sentiment score of 1.24 beat Novo Nordisk A/S's score of 0.93 indicating that Novartis is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Novo Nordisk A/S	40 Very Positive mention(s)	6 Positive mention(s)	12 Neutral mention(s)	5 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Novartis	16 Very Positive mention(s)	4 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of NVO or NVS?

11.5% of Novo Nordisk A/S shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 13.1% of Novartis shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of Novo Nordisk A/S shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.0% of Novartis shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Is NVO or NVS a better dividend stock?

Novo Nordisk A/S pays an annual dividend of $0.82 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.4%. Novartis pays an annual dividend of $2.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.0%. Novo Nordisk A/S pays out 22.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Novartis pays out 37.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

Which has more volatility & risk, NVO or NVS?

Novo Nordisk A/S has a beta of 0.68, indicating that its stock price is 32% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Novartis has a beta of 0.64, indicating that its stock price is 36% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Is NVO or NVS more profitable?

Novo Nordisk A/S has a net margin of 35.60% compared to Novartis' net margin of 25.64%. Novo Nordisk A/S's return on equity of 78.64% beat Novartis' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Novo Nordisk A/S	35.60%	78.64%	24.51%
Novartis	25.64%	41.08%	16.83%

Do analysts prefer NVO or NVS?

Novo Nordisk A/S currently has a consensus target price of $77.50, suggesting a potential upside of 31.12%. Novartis has a consensus target price of $120.33, suggesting a potential downside of 8.54%. Given Novo Nordisk A/S's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Novo Nordisk A/S is more favorable than Novartis.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Novo Nordisk A/S	1 Sell rating(s)	10 Hold rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50
Novartis	3 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.10

Which has stronger earnings & valuation, NVO or NVS?

Novo Nordisk A/S has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Novartis. Novo Nordisk A/S is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Novartis, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Novo Nordisk A/S	$42.12B	6.27	$14.64B	$3.64	16.24
Novartis	$50.32B	5.52	$11.94B	$6.87	19.15

Summary

Novo Nordisk A/S beats Novartis on 13 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.