Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Receives Average Rating of “Reduce” from Analysts

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the ten analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $123.38.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on NVS shares. HSBC downgraded shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 4th. StockNews.com raised shares of Novartis from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Thursday, February 13th.

Novartis Price Performance

NYSE NVS opened at $111.46 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $107.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $107.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $227.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Novartis has a 12-month low of $92.35 and a 12-month high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts forecast that Novartis will post 8.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Novartis Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 12th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a dividend of $3.8695 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Novartis’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.69%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Novartis

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NVS. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Novartis by 42.4% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 145,836 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,191,000 after acquiring an additional 43,418 shares in the last quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of Novartis by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 6,265 shares of the company’s stock worth $610,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the period. Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Novartis during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Brucke Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Novartis in the 4th quarter valued at $641,000. Finally, Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in Novartis by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV now owns 37,500 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,649,000 after buying an additional 1,067 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.