Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Receives $123.38 Consensus PT from Analysts

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the eight ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $123.38.

A number of research firms have issued reports on NVS. StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday. HSBC lowered Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Finally, Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of NVS. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Novartis by 26.9% in the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 89,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,668,000 after purchasing an additional 18,894 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Novartis by 115.3% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 231,792 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,797,000 after buying an additional 124,111 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its holdings in Novartis by 20.1% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,001,000 after buying an additional 5,164 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP raised its position in shares of Novartis by 135.5% in the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 39,976 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,598,000 after acquiring an additional 22,998 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Novartis by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 157,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $18,088,000 after acquiring an additional 18,990 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Novartis Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NVS stock opened at $106.81 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $100.32 and its 200 day moving average price is $108.39. Novartis has a 1-year low of $92.35 and a 1-year high of $120.92. The company has a market cap of $218.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.90.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.18. Novartis had a return on equity of 37.24% and a net margin of 23.56%. On average, research analysts expect that Novartis will post 8.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Novartis

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.