Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Given Average Recommendation of “Reduce” by Analysts

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) has earned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the nine research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and seven have issued a hold recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $121.50.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on NVS shares. Erste Group Bank reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Novartis in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. HSBC cut Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Novartis from $118.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th.

Novartis Price Performance

NYSE NVS opened at $99.06 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $202.48 billion, a PE ratio of 11.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $101.55 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $109.28. Novartis has a 52 week low of $92.35 and a 52 week high of $120.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 29th. The company reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.12. Novartis had a net margin of 35.96% and a return on equity of 34.80%. The company had revenue of $12.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.62 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.74 EPS. Research analysts predict that Novartis will post 7.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Novartis

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 12.4% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 6,171 shares of the company’s stock worth $600,000 after acquiring an additional 679 shares during the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. raised its position in Novartis by 19.7% during the fourth quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 7,777 shares of the company’s stock valued at $757,000 after purchasing an additional 1,281 shares in the last quarter. Range Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth about $303,000. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of Novartis by 20.1% during the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 30,840 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,001,000 after purchasing an additional 5,164 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Novartis by 782.0% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 785 shares of the company’s stock valued at $76,000 after buying an additional 696 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.