Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Brokerages

Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Hold" by the seven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $118.13.

A number of brokerages have commented on NVS. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on shares of Novartis from $121.00 to $122.50 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Novartis in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $120.00 price target for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating on shares of Novartis in a research report on Friday, July 19th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Novartis from $114.00 to $116.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Finally, Barclays upgraded Novartis to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, June 24th.

Institutional Trading of Novartis

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Founders Financial Securities LLC grew its stake in Novartis by 3.4% in the second quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 2,832 shares of the company's stock worth $301,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Novartis by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 10,492 shares of the company's stock worth $1,116,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Novartis by 5.1% during the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,013 shares of the company's stock valued at $196,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Portside Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Novartis by 3.4% in the second quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 3,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $319,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Evermay Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Novartis by 9.3% in the first quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,176 shares of the company's stock worth $114,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Novartis Price Performance

Novartis stock traded down $0.20 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $113.33. 779,885 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,449,864. The stock has a market cap of $231.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.29, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.57. The stock's fifty day moving average is $108.63 and its 200-day moving average is $102.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Novartis has a 12 month low of $92.19 and a 12 month high of $113.92.

Novartis (NYSE:NVS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 18th. The company reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.10. Novartis had a return on equity of 34.56% and a net margin of 33.76%. The business had revenue of $12.87 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.83 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Novartis will post 7.44 EPS for the current year.

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.