Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) Receives $123.38 Average Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS) have been assigned an average rating of “Reduce” from the ten analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $123.38.

NVS has been the topic of several analyst reports. HSBC cut shares of Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “reduce” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Novartis in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. They issued an “underweight” rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Novartis from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Novartis in a report on Monday, February 3rd.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in 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 last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted 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 acquiring an additional 5,164 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in Novartis during the fourth quarter worth about $239,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position 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. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Novartis by 38.4% in the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 42,759 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,918,000 after purchasing an additional 11,866 shares in the last quarter. 13.12% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Novartis Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of Novartis stock opened at $112.69 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $107.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $107.13. The stock has a market cap of $230.34 billion, a PE ratio of 19.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.04 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 posted its earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Research analysts predict that Novartis will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Novartis Announces Dividend

The firm 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 (DPR) is presently 42.69%.

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.