Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the five research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $116.67.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on NVS shares. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $120.00 target price for the company. Barclays raised Novartis to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Novartis from $114.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th.

Novartis Stock Down 0.1 %

NVS stock opened at $106.46 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $217.60 billion, a PE ratio of 14.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a fifty day moving average of $102.22 and a 200-day moving average of $101.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a current ratio of 0.90. Novartis has a one year low of $92.19 and a one year high of $108.78.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.80 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by $0.07. Novartis had a net margin of 31.33% and a return on equity of 32.15%. The firm had revenue of $11.83 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.50 billion. As a group, analysts expect that Novartis will post 7.27 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Novartis

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVS. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its stake in Novartis by 16.7% in the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 34,183 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,482,000 after acquiring an additional 4,897 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 8.8% during the third quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 13,930 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,418,000 after purchasing an additional 1,130 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its position in Novartis by 21.7% during the third quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 3,617 shares of the company’s stock valued at $368,000 after purchasing an additional 645 shares in the last quarter. Operose Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Novartis in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. lifted its position in Novartis by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 7,763 shares of the company’s stock worth $791,000 after buying an additional 580 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.