Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) has been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the eleven brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $123.38.

NVS has been the subject of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Novartis to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on Novartis in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. They set an “underweight” rating on the stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novartis

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at about $109,739,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter worth approximately $88,339,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 14,376.4% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 727,296 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,079,000 after purchasing an additional 722,272 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Novartis by 23.1% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,132,591 shares of the company’s stock valued at $207,522,000 after purchasing an additional 399,862 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in shares of Novartis by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 2,668,849 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,706,000 after buying an additional 368,171 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 13.12% of the company’s stock.

Novartis Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NVS opened at $110.58 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a market capitalization of $226.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.81, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.56. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $109.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $106.19. Novartis has a 52 week low of $94.72 and a 52 week high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Novartis will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a $3.8695 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.69%.

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.